IPL 2020: 3 players who could replace Glenn Maxwell in KXIP squad

After returning from his mental health break and shining in the Big Bash League, Glenn Maxwell was expected to take part in IPL 2020. However his participation is in doubt now, as he has announced he will undergo an elbow surgery just five weeks ahead of the IPL.

Maxwell has not ruled himself out of the IPL just yet, but it doesn’t seem likely for him to get fit in time for the tournament. Glenn Maxwell will miss Australia’s limited-overs tour of South Africa.

Kings XI Punjab had spent INR 10.75 crores to secure the services of Maxwell in the auction and if he is not available, it will be a major blow for them.

However, there are some quality players in the unsold list of players whom KXIP can sign as Maxwell’s replacement. Here are the 3 players who could replace Glenn Maxwell in the Kings XI Punjab squad.

#1 Colin de Grandhomme

de Grandhomme and Kohli in a partneship for RCB

Colin de Grandhomme’s numbers in the IPL don’t do any justice to his potential. He has also been a little unlucky with regards to the fact that he has not got regular playing opportunities at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), two of his previous franchises.

However, in the third ODI against India a couple of days ago, De Grandhomme showed what he was capable of doing with the bat. The 33-year old walked out to bat at a time when the game was hanging in the balance and he took the game away from India in a jiffy.

Apart from his power-hitting ability, de Grandhomme is also a very useful seam bowler. He hasn’t got a lot of pace, but he is skillful. He has got the ability to nibble the ball both ways.

#2 Ben Cutting

Ben Cutting didn’t have a great BBL 2019-20 by his standards, but he is a player pretty much in the mold of Maxwell. If he sticks around for any bit of time, he can change the whole complexion of the game because of the tempo he bats at.

While Cutting is originally a middle-order player, his BBL franchise Brisbane Heat has also tried him at the top of the order a couple of times and he has come out with flying colors.

Cutting is more of a batting all-rounder, but he can do the job with the ball as well, if required. He relies more on his off cutters and slower ball bouncers and the slow Indian surfaces are ideal for his style of bowling.

Cutting has got a lot of experience of playing in the Indian conditions, as he has been playing in the IPL for a number of years. He had played a key role in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s maiden IPL triumph in 2016. The 32-year old was declared the man of the match for his all-round performance in the final of IPL 2016.

#3 Colin Ingram

Colin Ingram is not an all-rounder, but he can be an ideal fit if Kings XI Punjab looks to replace Maxwell with a specialist middle-order batsman. Ingram featured for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2019, but couldn’t score heavily. It might be argued that he wasn't given his preferred batting slot and was batting much lower than he should have.

In most of the games in the last IPL, Ingram found himself in a situation where he had to go after the bowling straightaway. If KXIP signs Ingram and uses him slightly better than Delhi, the left-hander can prove to be a real handful.

Ingram has got the skill-set to perform well in Indian conditions. While he is really good square of the wicket on both sides, he also transfers his weight beautifully, front or back, against the spinners.