IPL 2019: 5 players KXIP should buy in the trading window

With only few days left for the much-awaited Indian Premier League auction which is scheduled on December 16, franchises are busy in figuring out which player to buy and whom they can trade in between. This is the first occasion when teams got a trading window ahead of the Mega Auction. All teams will aim to take full advantage of this opportunity and fill their desired options before going on the bid table.

Kings XI Punjab are among those sides who are known for being consistently inconsistent and this can be proved by the fact that they haven't managed to broke into the playoffs in previous four outings. While in 2018, They were in commanding position during the first half, but lost their way completely in the second half to finish the season at seventh spot with just six wins in fourteen league matches. The team had a solid top order in KL Rahul and Chris Gayle and decent bowling attack in Andrew Tye and Mujeeb ur Rahman. But they seemed over-dependent on them, while the team's middle order has been mostly fragile and the team needs to address these two areas before the 2019 campaign.

So, without much ado, let's take a look at the 5 players KXIP should get in the trade.

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#5 Rahul Chahar - 2 IPL Wickets

Rahul Chahar

The Rajasthan bowler has represented Mumbai Indians franchise in the IPL 2018, but didn't get many chances to show his skills in a star-studded lineup. Chahar has been a go-to bowler on Sub-continent pitches. He might be an ideal T20 bowler, having played for the Rajasthan in 2018 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Chahar amassed 20 scalps at an average of 17.55 to occupy the third spot in the highest wicket-takers list.

His form in recent times also makes him man to bid for. The bowler impressed everyone with his career-best match haul of 5/29 against services in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He is a kind of bowler who always goes in the field with the mentality to take wickets and his art of dealing the lower order adds another plus to his skills. With Punjab bowling being overly dependent on international services of Tye and Mujeeb, the inclusion of wrist spinner might give them an additional option to counter the opposition in middle overs.

#4 Dhawan Kulkarni - 80 IPL Wickets

Dhawan Kulkarni is an ideal T20 bowler and can be a replacement for Axar Patel in the side

Dhawan Kulkarni is an ideal T20 bowler. In the 2018 IPL, he represented Rajasthan Royals and went on to bowl some tight spells for the side. Though he picked up just four wickets, batsmen found it difficult to put him away for runs.

While in his overall IPL career, he managed to pick 80 wickets at an average of 25.86 with his best performance being 4/14. The pacer has been in decent form in recent times and was among leading wicket-takers with 18 scalps at an impressive average of 17.55 in Vijay Hazare Trophy.

With a strong spin department, Punjab might consider axing Axar Patel, who wasn't able to cope up with the expectations and failed to deliver. He picked up just three wickets in his nine outings for the team and hasn't been in form since then.

#3 Daniel Christian - 446 Runs and 34 Wickets (IPL)

Daniel Christian seems to be the perfect replacement for Marcus Stoinis

Daniel Christian is mostly known for his clean hitting skills and Daniel was a part of the DD squad last year. Australian featured in just four fixtures fir Daredevils and took four wickets.

Daniel is currently in his best form, which can be proved by the fact that the All-rounder was among leading run scorers in recently concluded T20 Blast with 415 runs. He also scored a record-breaking 40-ball 113 to lift his team to an easy win against Northamptonshire.

He is an explosive middle-order batsman and has the ability to bowl effectively in the middle overs. The all-rounder seems to be a perfect replacement for Marcus Stoinis, who had a poor outing with Punjab in 2018, scoring just 99 runs and picking up just three wickets. So, having Christian in the ranks might be the best option for Punjab to replace Stoinis.

#2 Ishan Kishan - 594 IPL Runs

Ishan Kishan has the ability to thrash any lineup

Despite some good starts in IPL 2018 matches, KXIP failed to post big totals due to their middle order chinks and Ishan Kishan could be one of the options Kings XI Punjab can look into to fill that gap in IPL 2019. Ishan is one of the underrated batsmen in the circuit but with his clean strike ability, he can thrash any opposition single-handedly.

The batsman proved his ability in his previous IPL season amassing 275 runs at a strike rate of 149.45 which is considered good in T20 format. The batsman is known for his consistency and has been in good form in recent times.

The Jharkhand batsman has been in top form in Vijay Hazare Trophy and is among top 10 on the runs chart, with 405 runs in seven innings at a decent average of 45.33, which is enough to prove his worth as a batsman and KXIP should consider him to fulfil that vacant gap in the batting lineup.

The batsmen seem to be the perfect replacement for Manoj Tiwary, who failed miserably in his 2018 stint with the team. Tiwary managed to score just 47 runs in his five outings and is going through tough times in T20 format.

#1 Shubman Gill - 203 IPL Runs

Shubman Gill has been a consistent performer in IPL and might be a replacement for Mayank Agarwal

Shubman Gill needs no introduction in IPL. With 203 runs in his maiden tournament at an average of 33.83 and a strike rate of 146.04. Gill was a consistent performer in the Indian Premier League 2018. He was exceptional in his stint for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2018 due to his ability to score big. He proved to be a gem for his team in last season and is getting better day by day in utilising his skills.

Shubman is currently going through the form of his life in Vijay Hazare Trophy and scored 418 runs for Punjab in just seven outing comprising three fifties and a century at an impressive average of 59.71.

Yuvraj Singh might have to make way for the youngster as the former failed miserably generate runs in the middle and scored just 65 runs in his eight outings.