IPL 2020: Kings XI Punjab SWOT Analysis

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) were one of the heaviest spenders at the recently concluded IPL Auction. The Preity Zinta co-owned franchise has always been busy at the auctions and it was the same this year. They had the biggest purse (₹42.7 crores) with nine slots to fill in the team. The Anil Kumble-coached franchise ended up spending a total of ₹26.20 crores to fill these spots. KXIP operated smartly during the auctions and picked up the players they wanted at suitable prices.

After opting not to take part in the last season, Glenn Maxwell is set to return to the IPL in 2020 and is one of the players to watch out for. The Punjab-based franchise roped in the batting all-rounder for a whopping ₹ 10.75 crores.

West Indies speedster Sheldon Cottrell (₹ 8.5 crores), Chris Jordan (₹ 3 crores), India leggie Ravi Bishnoi (₹ 2 crores), and Jimmy Neesham (₹ 50 lakhs) were some of the other players roped in to bolster the Kings XI Punjab Squad for 2020.

Let us do a SWOT analysis of the team to dive deeper into the Kings XI Punjab Squad for IPL 2020.

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Strengths

The return of Glenn Maxwell adds a lot of depth to KXIP

Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is certainly the X-factor player in the squad. The batting powerhouse adds a lot of depth for KXIP. Only one day after the IPL Auctions concluded, Glenn Maxwell smashed 83 off 39 deliveries for the Melbourne Stars in a Big Bash League match. The knock was laden with sixes and he middled almost every ball.

The opening pair of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle is another huge strength for KXIP. The Indian wicket-keeper batsman finished 2nd on the list of top run-scorers last season with 593 runs in 14 games at a brilliant average of 53.90 and strike rate of 135.38. Gayle, with 490 runs in 13 games at a phenomenal strike rate of 153.60, was equally effective.

The duo provided excellent starts for Punjab in the previous season and will look to continue to do the same this time around as well. Rahul is in excellent form currently and played a few solid knocks in India's recent series against West Indies, Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand.

Mandeep Singh and Mayank Agarwal are also extremely handy batsman who will take care of the upper-middle order. Sarfaraz Khan, with his creative shots, also showed his ability as a finisher last season.

All in all, the batting unit of KXIP is well-balanced and one of their biggest strengths.

Weaknesses

Coach Anil Kumble will have a lot of thinking to do to get the combination right

KXIP's former skipper Ravichandran Ashwin parted ways with them last season. The veteran spinner made 15 scalps for Punjab last time around and they might end up missing someone as experienced as him. Murugan Ashwin and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will have to take care of the spin department now.

Mohammad Shami was also bowling at his best and ended up picking up 19 wickets in 14 matches at an impressive strike rate of 17.05.

Young Sam Curran showed glimpses of his ability last season and was effective but surprisingly, he was not retained by Punjab. He will now be playing for CSK in the upcoming season.

Sheldon Cottrell was added to the squad to bolster the bowling line-up ahead of the coming edition. They even traded in spinner Jagadeesha Suchith from Delhi.

Despite all these changes, KXIP does not look convincing as a bowling unit. It lacks the experience required to make an impact at the big stage. In case one of their core bowlers suffers an injury, then KXIP does not have many great back-up options.

Opportunities

Mujeeb Ur Rahman can take charge of the spinning department

Kings XI Punjab are in the hunt for their maiden IPL title this season. With one of the strongest batting line-ups across all the teams, KXIP will have the chance to set a few batting records as well. The 2014 IPL runners-up will have the opening combine of Rahul-Gayle set the top.

The explosive Maxwell, Mayank Agarwal, and Mandeep Singh have sufficient firepower to wreak havoc in the middle overs while Sarfaraz Khan can finish things off towards the end of the innings.

The options of Nicholas Pooran, Hardus Viljoen, James Neesham, Karun Nair, and Chris Jordan will give Anil Kumble further confidence as far as the batting line-up is concerned.

With so much depth in their batting and well as a few batsmen who can rip apart any bowling line-up if they get going, it would not be wrong to expect a few 200+ scores from KXIP in the upcoming edition.

If there are no injuries in the bowling department and players like Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sheldon Cottrell, and Murugan Ashwin perform to the best to their abilities constantly, then KXIP also has a realistic chance of lifting their maiden IPL trophy this season.

Threats

Chris Jordan played for Perth Scorchers in the BBL

KL Rahul is likely to be at the helm to lead KXIP in the thirteenth edition of IPL. The charismatic opener was at his best last season and was playing without much pressure.

It will be interesting to see how he handles captaincy and whether runs will flow as freely once he is leading the team. While it could prove to be a good move it is a potential threat as well.

There are only three potent all-rounders in the team - namely Neesham, Maxwell, and Chris Jordan. An injury or unavailability of any of these three players can possibly hamper KXIP's chances this season.

While the Punjab-based side has a decent mix, they would have liked to have a few more players with experience of playing at the international level.

The lack of experience in handling pressure situations can haunt some of the youngsters and is a huge threat. Overall, KXIP do not look like the title favourites but still have a good chance if its players step up to the occasion.