IPL 2018: 4 reasons why KXIP are on a roll this season

Kings XI Punjab have put on a brilliant run so far in this IPL, which is reminiscent of their extremely successful 2014 season where they ended second best to Kolkata Knight Riders. Though they boasted of some great power-hitters in their ranks, the majority of cricket pundits didn’t expect them to even make it to the playoffs this season. The reason for this writing off was their bowling attack, which reflected a false perception of not being lethal enough to regularly restrict opposition teams.

\Though the pace department is still a work-in-progress, the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have done a great job so far. Whatever doubts that lingered around their bowling abilities were effectively put to rest by their successful defense of 143-runs against Delhi Daredevils. A few reasons for their exceptional run can be due to the following reasons.

---

#1 Ashwin: A captain par excellence

The captain-mentor duo has turned it around for KXIP

When the Kings XI set up decided to hand the reins of captaincy to an ever-thinking Ravi Ashwin everybody applauded that decision and expected a turn-around in the not-so-bright fortunes of Kings XI Punjab. But hardly anyone expected to witness a change-up of this degree that Kings XI will be on top just after six games after decimating oppositions like Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kolkata Knight Riders. Ashwin’s tactical nuancess and brilliantly calculated moves have been the bedrock of this stupendous performance so far.

He pulled out some brilliant out-of-the-box ideas like asking Mujeeb to bowl upfront to counter Sunil Narine’s aggressive approach; asking Sunrisers to chase down in Mohali; excluding Chris Gayle from the first two matches to increase the fire in him that eventually swallowed Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata as he struck two blistering half-centuries and a mind-blowing century to storm the batting charts in just three innings.

Amidst all the unconventional moves he still remains a traditional captain who likes attacking the batting team in the powerplay to take wickets and is not shy of bowling his best bowler straight up for four overs upfront. Kings XI will be grateful to Chennai for letting Ashwin go as he has now become an all-important wheel of their journey in the tournament.

#2 Fearsome hitting by the openers

KL Rahul's consistency has been instrumental in KXIP's success this season

Kings XI Punjab will be very grateful to the Royal Challengers Bangalore management for releasing players like KL Rahul and Chris Gayle. The duo is exhibiting some sensational hitting upfront to leave the opposition in shambles. Both Rahul and Gayle, feature among the top five run-scorers of the season. While Rahul occupies the second spot in the batting charts with his tally of 236 runs from six games, Gayle is on the fifth spot with his tally of 229 runs from just three games.

The Gayle-Rahul duo has so far scored 47.40 % of the total runs accumulated by their team in the tournament. Their batting has been so belligerent that none of the two has a strike rate less than 170. Gayle is striking the ball at 170.89 while Rahul is going one level up at 180.15. Gayle didn’t feature in the last clash against Delhi and Rahul, too, had a rare failure, which resulted in KXIP putting an average looking total of 143. This highlights the importance of the opening pair as the bedrock of KXIP’s batting.

#3 Pacemen taking responsibility at crucial moments

Andrew Tye is now the owner of the Purple Cap for this season

Andrew Tye has been the bowling superstar for the Kings XI and has now become the proud owner of the Purple Cap with his tally of nine wickets from six games. More importantly, Tye has received support from other pace bowlers in his team. It was the duo of Mohit Sharma and Barinder Sran who lifted their game in the death overs against Chennai Super Kings to keep MS Dhoni at bay.

Sran was in action again as he bowled a terrific penultimate over where he conceded only four runs against Delhi Daredevils when they required 21 runs to win from the last two overs. In the match against Delhi, KXIP found a new hero in Ankit Rajpoot who took 2 for 23 in his four overs to set the game up for his team.

#4 The spin twins arresting the momentum of opposition

Mujeeb has thrived in pressure situations for KXIP

The young Afghan sensation, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, has been a revelation so far. He has shown great maturity by handling the pressure situations very well. The ball of the tournament remains his wrong one that castled Kohli in KXIP’s clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has forged a successful partnership with his skipper Ashwin.

Ashwin has also been impressive with his bowling. He has used his newly-developed leg spin variation quite effectively. This new weapon allows him to take the ball away from both kind of batsmen – right or left-handed. He, along with Mujeeb, has been able to control the run-scoring, which is indicated by their 11 wickets that have come at a combined economy of 7.41 runs per over, which is very good in the T20 format.