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Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)
Kings XI Punjab has a story much like the team from Delhi. They have never laid their hands on the trophy, and have seldom found themselves in the playoffs. 2014 has been the best season for the Punjab franchise so far, where they finished as table toppers, and went on to complete their season as the second-best team.
Kings have struggled to find the right start in most seasons and failed to convert the good start in others. Last season, Kings XI Punjab had only retained Axar Patel and built a completely new team. Their top picks were Ravichandran Ashwin, KL Rahul and Aaron Finch.
Ravichandran was named captain for the side. The team was off to a great start with KL Rahul in some amazing form. However, the team kept crumbling in the games to come and finally, ended second last on the points table. For the next season, Punjab has retained only a few important names, who proved their mettle in the last season.
These names include their captain Ashwin, along with KL Rahul, Chris Gayle,and Mujeeb Ur Rahman among some others. The team has tried to resolve their middle order woes by trading Marcus Stoinis for Mandeep Singh with RCB. However, there is a lot of work pending for the Kings. They need a couple of fast pacers, as all they have now is Ankit Rajpoot and Tye. They will be on the hunt for a tried and tested fast bowler who can handle pressure situation. They have a total purse of 36.2 Cr to buy a maximum of 11 Indians and 4 Overseas players.
The Punjab dug-out needs to buy a spinner, a good batting all-rounder, atleast 2 more spinners and a wicket-keeper as a back-up for Rahul. A backup opener will also be something Punjab would be looking out for. They have shredded away major forces and now will have to refill it with firepower that can help improve their chances in this IPL. Money won't be an issue for the Punjab table in the auction on the 18th of December.
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