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5 options Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) have to trim down their squad to 24 players

Kings XI Punjab. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)

Fortunately for cricket lovers across the globe, the game is about to be back in its full flow with the Indian Premier League set to take place in the United Arab Emirates. Recently, the Indian Government gave clearance to the BCCI

to conduct the tournament in the middle-east nation and the preparations for the tournament are in full swing. The franchises will shortly meet with the board members to discuss the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the tournament.

The BCCI is planning a 24-player cap on all the franchise squads travelling to the UAE for the tournament. The cap has been decided keeping the bio-secure bubbles and regulations to check the infestation of the virus in minds. Only Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals have more than 24 players in their squad, meaning thereby that they will have to leave one of their players behind before leaving for the tournament.

Since the inaugural season in 2008, Kings XI Punjab have always been under-par in their performances in the IPL, qualifying for finals only once, in the year 2014. Interestingly, the initial few matches of the 2014 season were also hosted in the Emirates. Their star player in that season, Glenn Maxwell will be making his comeback for the lions in this season as well.

Here in this article, we will discuss 5 potential players who could be dropped from Kings XI Punjab in order to trim the squad down to 24 players:
1. Harpreet Brar Harpreet BrarHarpreet Brar. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The 24-year-old All-rounder from Moga is the first player on the list of potential candidates to be dropped from the squad. The left-armer is a talented player who has not quite lived up to his potential in the league. He has a single valuable contribution in the two games he played which, however, does not guarantee his place in the squad.

Drafted into the squad in 2018 auctions, Brar played only a couple of games during the 2019 season of the tournament. In the single innings he played, he managed to score 20 runs from 12 deliveries. On the other hand, he was not able to pick up even a single wicket in the two matches whilst leaking runs at 9.6 an over.

The Kings already have two quality Indian all-rounders in their squad in Deepak Hooda and Krishnappa Gowtham. Both of them are likely to be selected in the playing XI ahead of the inexperienced Brar. Thus, there is a high chance that he may be dropped from the squad altogether.

2. Tajinder Singh Dhillon Tajinder Singh DhillonTajinder Singh Dhillon. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Another batting all-rounder like Harpreet Brar, Tajinder Singh Dhillon may miss out on this season of IPL due to similar reasons. However, unlike Brar, Dhillon has no experience of playing in IPL whatsoever. Snapped up by Mumbai Indians during 2018, he made move to Punjab in the latest edition of the tourney.

Despite changing franchises, one thing remained the same for Dhillon- zero chances to prove his mettle. The right-handed all-rounder from Dholpur, Rajasthan is a hit in the domestic T20 tournaments. His aggressive technique with the bat won him a lot of accolades when he struck runs at the strike rate of 170 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2018.

Despite his stellar performances, Dhillon has not featured in even a single IPL game so far. There is a high chance of a player with no experience being left out in favour of one who has experience of even a couple of matches. Also, the fact that there are perfect substitutes for Dhillon in Maxwell, Hooda and Gowtham, furthers the case for his exclusion from the squad for the current season.

3. Hardus Viljoen Mohali: Kings XI Punjab’s Hardus Viljoen celebrates the wicket of Rohit Sharma during the ninth IPL 2019 match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, Punjab on March 30, 2019. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)

Amongst all the overseas players in KXIP’s squad, Viljoen is the most inexperienced and underperforming player. The South-African pacer is considered as a T20 specialist; however, he is yet to make a significant impact in the Indian T20 league. The 31-year-old pacer from Witbank has not achieved success in the International arena as well, playing a solitary Test match against England way back in 2016.

Hardus made his IPL debut for Punjab in the 2019 season and made an appearance in only 6 matches. In these 6 matches, he managed to pick up 7 wickets whilst leaking runs at 9.65 runs an over. He was constantly taken to cleaners by the opposite batsman who made full use of his misdirected deliveries.

Kings XI Punjab have their arsenal full with quality pacers this season. Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Jordan and James Neesham have been signed up for the current season. In the presence of such stalwarts, there is a high probability that Viljoen might not get to play even a single match. Thus, he might as well be dropped out of the squad before the tournament begins.

4. Darshan Nalkande Darshan NalkandeDarshan Nalkande. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The 21-year-old pacer from Wardha, Maharashtra is one of the youngest players in the squad. The prodigy from Vidarbha has a useful set of all-round skills which could have been put to some good use in his team’s campaign. However, since his inclusion in the squad in 2018, he has not been given any chance to showcase his skills.

Just like Dhillon, Nalkande has no prior IPL experience whatsoever which worsens his case for being included in the squad to the UAE. Another fact which works to his disadvantage is that most of his impressive performances have come in age-restricted cricket matches like the U-19 youth Asia Cup or the U-23 CK Nayudu Trophy. He is yet to make an impact in top-tier matches including first-class cricket.

He was included in the Kings XI’s squad because of his performance in the trials and not because of his exploits in actual matches. Moreover, the presence of quality Indian pacers like Mohammed Shami and Ishan Porel ensures that Punjab does not need much backup in the pace department. Thus, Nalkande may be the one who could miss out on an overseas IPL tourney.

5. Arshdeep Singh Arshdeep SinghArshdeep Singh. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)

The hardworking and perseverant bowler from Punjab is the last player on this list of probable candidates who could miss out on this year’s IPL. The 21-year-old left-arm pacer made his debut last season and performed well enough to keep himself in the playing XI for a few matches. However, this season, with Punjab’s pace department fully loaded and ready for the explosion, he might miss out on the firecrackers.

During the last season, Singh made an appearance in 3 matches and scalped 3 wickets, two of which were of big guns Jos Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane. He made pretty good use of yorkers in the final overs, however, still leaked runs at the rate of 10.9 runs per over. Him being a left-armer and death-over specialist made things a bit favourable to him as he was picked ahead of Nalkande last season.

However, this season, Punjab already have a quality left-arm pacer in their ranks in the form of Sheldon Cottrell. Also, Punjab has an experienced death over specialist in Chris Jordan. Thus, in the presence of such experienced players, Arshdeep might be left behind before the squad leaves for the Emirates.

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