IPL 2019: 5 Players who Kings XI Punjab might release after this season.

#3 Hardus Viljoen

Hardus Viljoen- Another unsatisfactory pace bowling performance. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20)

Hardus Viljoen was set to be Kings XI Punjab's backup overseas pacer for Andrew Tye but he was backed by skipper Ashwin only for him to deliver a highly inconsistent performance. Apart from Mohammed Shami and the occasional spell from Sam Curran, no other KXIP pacer looked comfortable near the bowling crease and despite Ashwin's constant rotation policy, he wasn't able to find the right option.

Viljoen picked up 7 wickets from 6 games at a poor economy rate of 9.65 and this statistic clearly shows that Ashwin was wrong to place Viljoen over last season's Purple Cap winner Tye who played only 6 matches. With many young players like Arshdeep Singh and Agnivesh Ayachi in the squad, Punjab should have shipped Viljoen out to provide these players an opportunity.

A lot of young international fast bowlers will be available next year in the auction and with Punjab being known for their tendency to retain fewer players, Viljoen might as well be waving goodbye to his place in the team.

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About the author

Shreyas is a cricket and Indian sports writer at Sportskeeda. He has over 6.5 years of experience and writes news, listicles, fantasy, and more.

Shreyas has always followed cricket and enjoys the aspect of the sport that leads to players having to adapt to different formats. ODI is his favorite format, but he hopes the rule of two new balls is scrapped. He has also played cricket and football at the school level.

Shreyas has written over 2,500 articles for Sportskeeda, including live text commentary for multiple Indian sports. He worked extensively during the Olympics, Asian Games, and the Pro Kabaddi League. He ensures to cite only verified sources and is careful about being respectful towards every player and team.

Shreyas admires KL Rahul for his elegance and personality, and Shardul Thakur for his resilience. He supports the Punjab Kings in the IPL and the New Zealand cricket team internationally.

When not working, he enjoys playing different sports.

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Edited by Satvik Pandey