Looking back at Kings XI Punjab's skippers over the years

Kings XI Punjab are one of the most inconsistent teams in the IPL. Their only notable performances came in 2008 and 2014, where they made it to the semi-finals and finals respectively. They exited from the competition in the league stage in all other seasons and were the last ranked team on three occasions.

Punjab have always had a good set of players but have failed to deliver as a team consistently. One of the main reasons for this lacklustre run is the constant tinkering with the core team.

11 captains in 11 seasons is a prime example of that. This year, they have named Ravichandran Ashwin as their skipper.

Let us take a look at the 10 skippers of Kings XI Punjab since the first season of IPL.

2008-2009: Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj guided Kings XI to a second place finish in the first season of IPL

KXIP kickstarted their maiden IPL campaign by appointing the local boy Yuvraj Singh as captain. He did a pretty good job for the team as they finished as the second placed team in the league stage.

However, they lost to Chennai Superkings in a one-sided affair in the semi-final. After electing to bat, they could only manage 116 runs and CSK chased down the target for the loss of only one wicket in 14.5 overs.

In 2009, Yuvi failed both as captain and batsman. In his second season as skipper, he scored 340 runs at an average of 28.33 and a paltry strike-rate of 115.64.

As a result, the Punjab-based franchise finished fifth in the points table with 14 points. Even though the now-defunct Deccan Chargers also had 14 points, they advanced to the next stage because of a better net run rate.

The Indian all-rounder led the side in 29 matches across two seasons and KXIP won 17 of them.

2010: Kumar Sangakkara & Mahela Jayawardene

The Sri Lankan legend led KXIP in 2010

Kumar Sangakkara led KXIP in 2010. The southpaw enjoyed a good season with the bat by scoring 357 runs at an average 29.75 and a strike-rate of 138.91. However, his team didn't enjoy the same success as they finished at the bottom of the table. Under him, they lost nine matches and won just four.

Mahela Jayawardene led the team for a game because Sangakkara was banned due to poor over-rate. The introduction of a new captain didn't do much good for the Preity Zinda-owned team as they went on to lose the game.

Jayawardene had his best season as an individual that year. The classy right-hander scored 439 runs at an impressive average of 43.90 and a strike-rate of 147.31. Finishing dead last was a hard pill to swallow as both the Sri Lankan stars had a good season with the bat.

2011-2013: Adam Gilchrist & David Hussey

Gilchrist shows his dancing skills after taking the only wicket in his career

Australian legend Adam Gilchrist captained KXIP on 34 occasions, the most by any captain for the franchise. He also led the team to the joint-most wins (17), although Yuvraj achieved the same in 29 matches.

Gilchrist, who inspired Hyderabad Deccan Chargers to become IPL champions in 2009, couldn't create the same magic for KXIP. They finished fifth in 2011, and sixth in 2012 and 2013.

The iconic wicket-keeper batsman also had his worst seasons with the bat in terms of strike-rates (129.83, 120.27, 128.38) during this period compared to 137.10 in 2008, 152.30 in 2009 and 156.21 in 2010.

David Hussey also captained the team for 12 matches. Under him, they lost six games and won six.

2014-2015: George Bailey and Virender Sehwag

KXIP reached to finals in 2014 under Bailey

George Bailey played his first T20I as captain for Australia in 2011, and for KXIP he achieved that feat in the year 2014.

He was a natural leader and brought the best out of Glenn Maxwell (552 runs, Avg: 34.50, SR: 187.75) and David Miller (446 runs, Avg: 44.60, SR: 149.16). As a result, the Kings XI progressed to the finals of the 2014 edition.

In the final, the Bailey-led team posted 199/4 in 20 overs, thanks to a brilliant hundred by Wriddhiman Saha (115* off 55). However, Kolkata Knight Riders chased down the target in 19.3 overs with Manish Pandey leading the charge by scoring 94 off 50 balls.

2015 was a different story altogether as the franchise finished at the bottom of the table. They only managed to win three matches. Virender Sehwag captained the side for a game against Rajasthan Royals which they went on to win in a Super Over.

2016: Murali Vijay and David Miller

Murali Vijay has the best average as KXIP captain

Even though Bailey led KXIP to the final in 2014, he had a sorry outing in 2015. So the think-tank decided to change the skipper and David Miller was appointed as the captain. He, however, failed to inspire the team and won only one match in the first six games. Also, his form with the bat dipped alarmingly.

KXIP were forced to axe Miller after six games and Murali Vijay was chosen as his replacement. The opening batsman led the side in eight games and won only three of them. Hence, once again the Punjab-based franchise finished at the bottom of the table.

2017: Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell captained KXIP in 2017 season

The swashbuckling batsman Glenn Maxwell was the 10th captain and the fourth Australian to lead KXIP.

He is one among the select few captains to lead the side for a full season. He had an average run as a skipper though, as KXIP won seven out of 14 matches under his captaincy and finished fifth in the points table.

One of the reasons for KXIP's failure was the poor form of Maxwell and David Miller. Even though Maxwell crossed 40 on five occasions, he couldn't convert any of them to a fifty.

Miller, on the other hand, only played five matches and scored 83 runs at an average of 27.66 and a meager strike-rate of 103.75.

The Big Show will play for Delhi Daredevils in the 2018 season and Ashwin will captain KXIP in his place. Will the new skipper lead Kings XI Punjab to their maiden IPL title? We will have to wait and watch.