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The Kings XI Punjab were off to a flying start this season and were at the top of the table during the first half of the 2018 IPL. They were almost certain of making it to the playoffs at one stage.
However, their fortunes changed in the second half of the season and they finished at the No. 7 in the standings with just six wins out of their fourteen league games. Chris Gayle looked fantastic in the first half but his form gradually dwindled as the season progressed.
It was KL Rahul and Andrew Tye's season all the way as they dominated the batting and bowling charts. But other notable players failed to step-up for Ashwin's men. Their middle-order comprising mainly of Indian players failed miserably. This mainly led to their downfall in addition to their domestic pace talents who were far from impressive.
A more dependable middle-order batsman and a proven all-rounder could have made things easy for Punjab this season. But they had plenty of positives to take from this season. All they have to do now is to build a challenging squad for next season. Let us now look at four players whom they need to target next season.
#4 Rovman Powell
The big-hitting Jamaican is an ideal T20 player, who can score quick runs down the order as well as bowl useful medium-pace bowling. In the 2017 IPL, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 30 lakhs during the auctions. Unfortunately, he did not get a chance to don the jersey for the entire season.
The Caribbean all-rounder made the headlines for his astonishing century against Ireland in the ICC 2019 World cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe (March 2018). Powell, who plays for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League has scored 401 runs in 23 innings at a strike-rate of 121.9.
He has also taken seven wickets in 12 innings with his best figures being 2/36. With the Kings XI Punjab lacking a perfect fast-bowling all-rounder who can bat at the lower middle-order as well as contribute with pace bowling, Powell might the answer to their woes next season. He went unsold with a base price of INR 50 lakh at this year's auctions
#3 Moises Henriques
The Aussie all-rounder has represented five different franchises in the IPL including Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Henriques is an ideal T20 specialist, having played for the Sydney Sixers since the beginning of the Big Bash and for several English county teams. He has played 57 IPL matches across seven seasons scoring 969 runs at a strike-rate of 128.17, with his best score being 75*.
Henriques was a part of the Sunrisers squad that won the title in 2016 under David Warner. The Aussie has been equally good in his bowling, having taken 38 wickets at an economy of 8.38, with his best figures being 3/16. A good lower-middle order batsman, Henriques can also bowl effectively in the death overs. Especially, his scorching toe-crushers and pace variations make him the ideal death-over specialist bowler.
It was surprising that the Australian all-rounder, Marcus Stoinis was the only overseas fast-bowling all-rounder in Kings XI squad this season. Stoinis had a poor outing with Punjab in 2018, scoring just 99 runs while picking up three wickets. Henriques might be the best option for Punjab to replace Stoinis, who is likely to be overlooked next season.
#3 Joe Root
The current English Test skipper went unsold in this year's auctions with a base price of INR 1.5 crore. Root, who has never played in the IPL, scored 249 runs in six innings at a strike-rate of 146.57 during England's run to the finals of the 2016 ICC T20 World cup in India in 2016.
In 25 T20 international matches for England, Root has made 743 runs at a strike-rate of 128.77 with his highest score being 90. Considered as one among the current generation fab-four, Root is a world-class batsman who can score runs on any kind of surface.
A solid batsman, Root can lend stability to the already beleaguered Kings XI Punjab middle order. Punjab's middle-order was solely dependent on its strong Indian contingents like Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Manoj Tiwary and Yuvraj Singh who failed to perform according to the expectations. Considering his experience, Root can bat at any position according to the team's needs and can keep the scoreboard figures changing.
#4 Praveen Kumar
Praveen Kumar, who represented Kings XI Punjab from 2011-2013 would relish the prospect of coming back to his former franchise. One of the best new-ball bowlers in the IPL, Praveen would be effective with his swing at the start of the innings.
The experienced Uttar Pradesh pacer represented the now-defunct, Gujarat Lions in the 2016 and 2017 editions. He has also made valuable contributions with the bat down the order for his franchises over the years.
In 119 IPL matches, he has scored 344 runs at a strike-rate of 109.20, with his highest score being 34. He has taken 90 wickets at an economy of 7.72, with his best figures being 3/18. With the likes of Mohit Sharma and Barinder Sran proving ineffective this season, Punjab need to go for Praveen next season.
Andrew Tye had a wonderful season with 24 scalps for Punjab in the 2018 IPL. Also, the 24-year old Ankit Rajpoot looked impressive this season, picking up 11 wickets. So, expect him to partner Praveen Kumar (in IPL 2019) who he went unsold at this year's auction with a base price of INR 50 lakh. Praveen Kumar still has the age and potential to deliver in the IPL.
Which players would you recommend for Kings XI Punjab and why? Sound off in the comments section below.
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