IPL 2018: Kings XI Punjab will only retain one player says Virender Sehwag

What's the story?

Ahead of the player retention for IPL 2018, Kings XI Punjab director Virender Sehwag admitted that they will retain just one player and use the Right To Match (RTM) cards to keep players who have been incredibly consistent for the franchise.

Speaking ahead of the player retention, Sehwag said: "We are planning to retain one player and use our Right To Match (RTM) cards for players who have done well for us like Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Hashim Amla, Sandeep Sharma or Mohit Sharma. We are planning to use all our RTM cards. We would like to pick new talent. We have done it in the past with Sandeep Sharma or Axar Patel.’’

In case you didn't know...

Kings XI Punjab narrowly missed out on making it through to the playoffs for IPL 2017 as they finished fifth, just two points behind Kolkata Knight Riders in the group stage. KXIP have only qualified for the playoffs twice in the 10 year history of the tournament. They made the semi-final of the inaugural edition of the tournament and finished runners-up in the 2014 edition.

The heart of the matter

There has been a constant influx of players for KXIP throughout the history of the IPL and this year looks to be no different as owner Ness Wadia admitted that will be a fresh start for the franchise.

"We want to rebuild the whole franchise. It is up to Brad Hodge, Viru and his team to deliver," Wadia added.

What's next?

The player retention event will take place in Mumbai on Thursday and it will be telecast live on Star Sports from 7pm.

Author's take

Considering the amount of money that they will have to spend to retain three players, Kings XI Punjab's policy of just retaining one player certainly makes sense. While they have some consistent performers, there haven't been too many standout players and starting off with a clean slate makes a lot of sense and affords them with the purse to pursue the players that they want during the IPL Auction 2018.