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Kings XI Punjab have been very disappointing in the last two seasons after a wonderful beginning to their IPL campaign in the debut season when Shaun Marsh announced himself on the world stage becoming the highest run getter in the tournament. Their decision not to retain allrounder Yuvraj Singh will undoubtedly be regretted, especially after his recent surge of form. But now they do have an able leader to look up to in the person of Adam Gilchrist who took the Deccan Chargers to the title in the second season. Kings XI play their first match of the new season against newcomers Sahara Pune Warriors on 10^th April.

Kings XI Punjab looked very reluctant to spend during the auction as they missed out on many good players. They ended up with over 1 million US Dollars still in their pockets at the end of the auction and looked exceptionally short of firepower in their squad as compared to previous seasons. Their new look squad boasts of some highly competitive  Australians, including Shaun Marsh, Ryan Harris and David Hussey, who will have to share the burden of expectation from the team. The Indian players in the squad aren’t too experienced with Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla being the mainstay. Kumar has been injured and missed the World Cup and the less said about Chawla’s World Cup performance the better. Adam Gilchrist will have a difficult task on his hands if they want to post any sort of challenge for the other teams.

Batting:

Their batting had rested on the shoulders of the Sri Lankan duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene up to now and now captain Gilchrist will have to get his batting order right. He has proven talents in the form of Shaun Marsh, Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar and David Hussey in his squad to get runs on board.

Shaun Marsh would most likely be Gilchrist’s opening partner and both men have had good experiences in the IPL. Gilchrist is the second highest run-getter amassing 1220 runs in the three seasons with a century under his belt as well. But an ageing Gilchrist will have to exhibit great strength and determination to prove himself once again.

Their main challenge will be getting their middle order right which possesses inexperienced Indian domestic players like Paras Dogra, Paul Valthaty, Sidharth Chitnis and Sunny Singh. The aforementioned players will in all likelihood be competing for 1 or 2 places and will probably bat quite low down the order and any contribution from them would be considered a bonus.

Dinesh Karthik had three successful seasons with the Delhi Daredevils, finishing many matches for them. His impressive batting record in the lower middle order boasts 711 runs coming at an average above 26. David Hussey meanwhile was the X-factor for the Kolkata Knightriders with both bat and bowl. Hussey will be missing the first two games due to national commitments, but should break into the first eleven immediately on his return from Bangladesh.

Abhishek Nayar had two good IPL seasons to start with as he showed his worth with the bat becoming one of the young upcoming cricketers but injury and loss of form meant missing out on making the Mumbai Indians line up more than often, last year. Nayar’s high strike rate of 134 would be a huge positive for Punjab, showing his ability to accelerate later in the innings.

The inclusion of Ryan McLaren in the side has given the Kings a potent option to play in the side. His stint with the Mumbai Indians in the last season was successful and he was even promoted to the top of the order scoring 40 runs on one occasion.

With Amit Yadav, Praveen Kumar and Piyush Chawla probably making the first team, Punjab will bat deep and a few handy cameos from them might prove the difference between winnings and losing.

Bowling:

Kings XI had enjoyed a good mix of Indian bowlers in the past seasons but their attack has been weakened after the auction. Despite not having done very well for Kings XI, the side are sure to miss the leadership of Brett Lee, especially given his return to form too.

Ryan Harris will be leading the attack for the Kings this time and will share the new ball with Praveen Kumar. The pace attack will play a vital role in the side as the Mohali track is known for a little more pace and bounce compared with tracks in the rest of the country. Harris played under Gilchrist for the Deccan Chargers and picked up 14 wickets in just 8 matches. After playing well in the past year and performing well in the Domestic T20, he would be full of confidence and will look forward to get his side going. Praveen Kumar has proved himself with the new ball for long now, swinging the ball both ways. He is one of the best wicket taking bowlers in the league and after sitting out during the World Cup he will be raring to go.

Ryan McLaren and Vikramjeet Malik will lend the supporting hand to the new ball bowlers. Malik had played for the Kings XI in previous seasons and would enjoy playing on his home ground.

One of the players Kings XI bought back was World Cup Winner Piyush Chawla. He was a mixed bag last season picking up wickets sometimes and conceding runs on other occasions. He is one of the leading wicket takers picking up 41 wickets in the three seasons at an excellent strike rate of just 20 balls per wicket. Kings XI will be hoping he hasn’t lost his confidence after an ordinary World Cup and will have a lot to offer being the lead spinner in the side.

Bipul Sharma was given a chance last season picking up a few wickets at important intervals and will be itching to share the dressing room with the likes of Gilchrist and Hussey. David Hussey will provide for another spin option and will be an important bowler in the mid innings to keep the batsmen quiet.

Squad:

Batsmen: Shaun Marsh, Siddharth Chitnis, Paras Dogra, Abhishek Nayar, Sunny Singh,

Bowlers: Praveen Kumar, Love Ablish, Stuart Broad, Ryan Harris, Piyush Chawla, Vikramjeet Malik, Ryan McLaren, Bhargav Bhatt, Bipul Sharma, Nathan Rimmington, Shalabh Srivastava,

All Rounders: Adam Gilchrist(c&wk), David Hussey, Dinesh Karthik(wk),Dimitri Mascarenhas, Amit Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Paul Valthaty.

Support Staff: Head Coach: Michael Bevan, First Assistant Head Coach: Trevor Penney, Second Assistant Head Coach: Dave Nosworthy,Physiotherapist: Patrick Farhart.

Likely playing XI: Shaun Marsh, Adam Gilchrist (capt), Dinesh Karthik (wk), David Hussey, Abhishek Nayar, Siddharth Chitnis, Amit Yadav, Vikramjeet Malik, Praveen Kumar, Piyush Chawla, Ryan Harris.

Players to watch:

David Hussey: The younger of the Hussey brothers, David is the perfect T20 player - he bowls a bit, good fielder and smacks balls out of the park - and Punjab has put him in the top earners bracket by splurging $1.4million. Worth every penny? If Punjab gets going, Hussey would definitely be in the thick of action.

Piyush Chawla: Talented and comes from a rare breed of genuine leg spinners, Chawla’s inclusion in the World Cup squad might have raised many eyebrows, but his place in the Punjab team is cemented and he would be the premier spinner of the team.

Schedule:

Effervescent and bubbly, just like their owner Preity Zinta, Kings XI Punjab kick off their campaign in Mumbai against Yuvraj Singh’s Pune Warriors. The first home game of Punjab is on the 13^th against the defending champions at the PCA followed by a visit to Hyderabad.

After playing Rajasthan at home, a crucial four game streak would see Punjab travel to Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru. These four away games in succession could decide the fate of Punjab this season. At the mid way stage, Punjab would have played the bulk of their away games and even winning four out of these seven would keep them in contention. They return to PCA and host Pune and Mumbai on 8^th and 10^th respectively. A visit down south to Kochi is scheduled for the 13^th.

The final three home games would be played out at the scenic and picturesque Dharamshala, and Delhi, Bangalore and Deccan get to be the lucky ones to visit the hills in Himachal.

Punjab’s success and failure would largely depend on defending the home turf. But equally important would be to win on away fixtures to make it to the top four. They have a slight edge being the side who doesn't have to travel to Chennai to take on the defending champions on their own turf, and would hope to make that count. There is a cluster of away and home games in their schedule and momentum would be the keyword for them.

Home fixtures:
Wed Apr 13 vs Chennai Super Kings (PCA), 4pm
Thu Apr 21 vs Rajasthan Royals (PCA), 8pm
Sun May 8 vs Pune Warriors (PCA), 8pm
Tue May 10 vs Mumbai Indians (PCA), 8pm
Sun May 15 vs Delhi Daredevils (HPCA), 8pm
Tue May 17 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (HPCA), 8pm
Sat May 21 vs Deccan Chargers (HPCA), 4pm

Away Fixtures:
Sun Apr 10 vs Pune Warriors (DY Patil Academy), 8pm
Sat Apr 16 vs Deccan Chargers (Ragiv Gandhi International Stadium), 8pm
Sat Apr 23 vs Delhi Daredevils (Feroz Shah Kotla), 8pm
Sat Apr 30 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (Eden Gardens), 8pm
Mon May 2 vs Mumbai Indians (Wankhede), 4pm
Fri May 6 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (M Chinnaswamy), 8pm
Fri May 13 vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala  (Holkar Cricket Stadium), 8pm

File Photograph Copyright: Michael Henn

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