Squad: Complete list of players in KXIP team for IPL 2019

With star players and a good combination of experienced and young blood, Kings XI Punjab have had everything they have required to become champions, however, they haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2014.

After making it to the finals in the seventh edition of IPL, the Preity Zinta-owned team produced disappointing performances in the following years despite trying out several combinations.

Last year as well, under the captaincy of Ravichandran Ashwin, Punjab finished second from bottom, forcing the owners to make quite a few changes for the upcoming season.

The franchise bought some exciting names in the auction as they target a first ever IPL trophy. Let's see how their squad looks for IPL 2019.

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Batsmen and wicket-keepers

Gyle and KL Rahul will open the innings for KXIP

Openers - Kl Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal

Middle-order batsmen - Karun Nair, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Simran Singh

Wicket-keeper - Nicholas Pooran

With the likes of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul at the top, Punjab have one of the best opening combinations in the IPL. Rahul played some scintillating knocks last year while Gayle also contributed in a few matches. Agarwal is the third opener, however, he can bat at number three as well if needed.

In the middle-order, Punjab have various Indian options although they do lack overseas fire-power. The newcomers in the team, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, and Simran Singh, will complement the likes of David Miller and Karun Nair, who have been around for a while.

The addition of Caribbean wicket-keeper batsman, Nicholas Pooran was one of the smarter picks by Punjab in the auction. The southpaw has shown a lot of promise in various leagues and will look to further his reputation with a strong showing in the IPL.

All-rounders

Henriques will turn out for Punjab this year after a disappointing stint with Hyderabad

All-rounders - Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Moises Henriques, Agnivesh Ayachi

Sam Curran, after stealing the limelight in India's tour to England last year, was bought by Kings XI in the auction. His ability to bowl with the new ball and contribute with the bat down the order makes him a player to watch in IPL 2019.

Punjab also roped in experienced campaigner, Moises Henriques and an exciting youngster, Harpreet Brar, to fill their all-rounder slots.

Bowlers

Ashwin and Mujeeb will spearhead the spin department

Spinners - Ravichandran Ashwin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Varun Chakravarthy, Murugan Ashwin

Fast bowlers - Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Darshan Nalkande, Ankit Rajpoot, Andrew Tye, Hardus Viljoen

The spin department will be led by captain Ravichandran Ashwin while Mujeeb will play a crucial role after his exceptional debut campaign last time around. Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner, was also one of the surprising big-buck buys in the auction and Punjab would be hoping to get the most of him.

The fast bowling department is filled with both young and experienced campaigners. Aussie T20 specialist, Andrew Tye, will be the spearhead while Shami also has a job to do. Ankit Rajpoot, Darshan Nalkande and Hardus Viljoen are the other seamers in the line-up.