Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) had a roller coaster ride in the recently held Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE. They suffered a series of defeats at the start of the campaign before turning their fortunes to almost qualify for the playoffs.
However, Punjab’s inconsistency eventually came to haunt them as they finished at the sixth place with 12 points from 14 outings.
Reflecting on KXIP’s performance, former India opener-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra recently pointed out that the franchise need to axe some of the overseas players ahead of IPL 2021.
“Maxwell’s lack of form was a big problem, overseas bowlers another big problem. Cottrell played and then didn’t play, same was the case with Neesham and Jordan. So the door for inward-outward movement was always kept open,” Chopra said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
“Maxwell got plenty of opportunities. He didn’t disappoint a little, he was a huge disappointment. The Kings XI Punjab missed a trick or two with their selections,” he added.
According to Aakash, KXIP should leave Maxwell and the overseas bowlers before moving towards the next season.
“Kings XI Punjab have a reasonable need of a mega auction because they need changes. They have to do something for the fast bowling unit because it will not work out with the ones they have. They should leave out Sheldon Cottrell, they should leave Hardus Viljoen also if they are not playing him, and they should leave Maxwell as well,” he suggested.
“They can keep Gayle if he wants to play although he is 41-years old. But the IPL is just a few months away and he was not expensive as well. So they can keep him as he is an X-factor and an intimidating factor,” he added.
Chopra believes that the KL Rahul-led side has to take strong decisions and let go some of the big-ticket players to get a bigger purse to revive their squad.
“Kings XI Punjab might still be able to manage without a mega auction but they will have to do a good selection in the small auction and if they drop those 2-3 big names, they would get a bigger purse to shop wholeheartedly,” he concluded.
