Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) made just three additions to their side during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 player auction. While they were quite active in bidding for certain players, they were unwilling to spend the type of money other sides such as Delhi Daredevils (DD) dished out. Shiamak Unwalla has more.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) were perhaps the most consistent side of IPL 2014, remaining largely undefeated barring the occasional upset. With a line-up comprising of Virender Sehwag, Manan Vohra, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, George Bailey, and Wriddhiman Saha, the batsmen rarely had trouble setting big totals or chasing down 200-plus scores.
On the bowling front, Sandeep Sharma, Mitchell Johnson, and Akshar Patel proved to be enough to restrict the opposition, and in the event of a failure to do so, the batsmen would invariably bail the side out of trouble. As a result, KXIP marched into the final without too much trouble, and it was only due to Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) brilliant chase that they were unable to be crowned champions.
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KXIP made only three purchases in IPL 2015: Murali Vijay (for Rs 3 crore), Nikhil Naik, and Yogesh Golwalkar. While Vijay was their only high-profile purchase, he will add a bit of balance to the side, allowing him to hold the innings together while the stroke-players can bat around him. Of the other two, Naik is a middle-order batsman from Maharasthra, while Golwalkar is a leg-spinner from Madhya Pradesh.
Strengths: KXIP remain an excellent batting side, and the addition of Vijay will only add to that firepower. With Sehwag and Vohra being the preferred choice at the top of the order, it would be interesting to see which of the three men shift a spot down to No. 3.
Weaknesses: The bowling remains the one slightly weak suit in a visibly stacked deck. One feels the inclusion of another good Indian seamer would have boded well for the side.
Strange selection: The fact that KXIP bought only three players is a bit strange, especially since they would have done well to shore up the bowling attack.
Dark horse: Murali Vijay is the only Indian to score two IPL tons, and given his outstanding form for India in Test cricket, a good showing in the IPL could well mean a ticket to the limited overs national side.
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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