Kings XI Punjab finished 6th on the IPL 2020 points table.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) had a topsy-turvy IPL 2020 season in the UAE. Coming into the competition on the back of five wins in the 2014 edition which was held for the first time in the UAE, they showed promise. However, the side could not convert the promise into performance and hence fell back on the points.
They let a couple of games slip away from their hands pretty early. By the end of the seventh game, KXIP were lingering at the bottom of the table with just 1 win in their kitty. It was then that the Universe Boss regained fitness and help the boys in red win their next 5 games.
IPL 2020: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) - Statistical Highlights
With 12 points in 12 matches, they had a playoff spot in sight. However, they lost their final 2 games and were knocked out by the Chennai Super Kings in their last league game.
KXIP captain KL Rahul won the Orange Cap by scoring 670 runs in the competition but those runs could not help the side get into the top four. The fate of a team does not however depend on just one player. He must get able support from his teammates to play freely and take the team forward.
Their team lacked all-around performances from the players and it did not help at all in the points table. With KXIP chopping and changing their squads frequently, we can expect some big players to be released by the franchise before IPL 2021.
Team COC brings to you the five players who could be released by Kings XI Punjab before IPL 14
GLENN MAXWELL
The Australian big-hitter Glenn Maxwell was the star of the show when the IPL first came to the UAE back in 2014. He was the highest run-getter of the tournament till it happened in the desert country.
KXIP had high hopes from him this time around going back to where he performed. The expectations were fuelled by his performances against England in the bilateral series in England that took place just before IPL 2020.
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However, he failed to continue any of that form for KXIP and was a total dud. Maxwell is usually known for hitting sixes in all directions but this time he failed to send any ball directly over the boundary line. He became the only batsman in IPL 2020 to face over 100 deliveries and yet hit no sixes.
In 13 matches, the ‘Big Show’, as he is fondly called, could manage to score only 108 runs. Unlike his usual self, he went about a strike rate of just 101.88. It will be an understatement to say that he looked like a pale shadow of himself as he really did not look like himself.
Glenn Maxwell might be released before IPL 2021 based on his performance in the recently concluded season in the UAE.
MUJEEB UR RAHMAN
The 19-year-old from Afghanistan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, was supposed to be a key player for KXIP in the UAE as it was expected that the pitches would dry out as the tournament progresses and the spinners would play a major role.
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However, it did not happen as the curators did a good job to maintain the pitches. The tracks in Dubai were relatively slow in the first half of the tournament but KXIP failed to utilize those by bringing in Mujeeb Ur Rahman. He remained on the bench for 12 of the 14 games.
In the 2 games that he played, he conceded 83 runs without picking up a single wicket. KXIP have the likes of Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, and Deepak Hooda to tweak the ball and might not need Rahman in the future. The fact that he provides almost nothing with the bat doesn’t help him too.
In 2021, we might see Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowling those off-breaks for a different franchise.
JIMMY NEESHAM
KL Rahul and the KXIP team management also failed to use Jimmy Neesham appropriately. He was sent too low in the batting order in the 3 innings he got an opportunity to showcase his talent. He batted at the finisher's spot and could manage a meager 19 runs in that short sample of deliveries.
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Neesham took 18 deliveries to score those 19 runs. His failures with the bat can be accredited to the fact that he did not have a sure spot in the side and did not know what his role exactly was. He did not look confident enough to take the team home as he lacked the confidence of the team management.
The Kiwi all-rounder was trusted upon to bowl 15 overs in 5 games and was belted for 148 runs for 2 wickets. These stats are not ideal in any situation in any format of the game. KXIP would argue that Neesham could have been used properly had he shown promise in at least one of the departments, but that was not to be.
Going into IPL 2021 with these numbers, Neesham might find it difficult to play for KXIP again.
KRISHNAPPA GOWTHAM
KXIP had traded in Krishnappa Gowtham from the Rajasthan Royals at a hefty price of INR 6.2 crores. They looked at him as an Indian bowling all-rounder but was not backed to bowl in the tournament after a couple of horror performances.
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Gowtham had played 15 games in 2018 IPL for the Rajasthan Royals but was let go because of a dismal performance in 2019. He was played by KXIP in just 2 of their 14 games.
In both games, he completed his quota of 4 overs but returned with figures of 1/45 and 0/39. His economy of 10.50 and a bowling average of 84.00 meant that he never played again in IPL 2020.
He also scored 42 runs in those two games with the best of 22 not out. Glenn Maxwell had a horrible season but was given a chance in 13 games in the season. Krishnappa Gowtham, on the other hand, was dropped after a couple of failures.
It might mean that KXIP had enough of the Karnataka all-rounder and he might be let go before the IPL 2021 auction.
SARFARAZ KHAN
Just like three of the previous cricketers, Sarfaraz Khan was given only 5 matches to prove his worth. Out of these 5 games, he got an opportunity to bat thrice and remained not out once. Even then, he was dropped after the first half of the tournament.
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The 23-year-old batsman scored 12 and 7 in the first two innings and remained unbeaten on 14 in the third. In the first two instances, he came in to bat when the team was in trouble and had to bat with responsibility rather than play his natural aggressive game. He did that in the third game but was unfairly not given a longer run.
KXIP decided to bench him post that when he was actually required in the middle order to score quickly. They would have looked at his strike rate for the tournament and taken the decision to play Maxwell for a longer period.
If KXIP goes ahead with a similar mindset for IPL 2021, they might release Sarfaraz Khan back into the player pool.