IPL: 3 great T20 players who flopped for KXIP

The Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) have played in every single edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but they are yet to win the title. The closest KXIP have come to the IPL crown was in the final of the 2014 edition, where Wriddhiman Saha's hundred went in vain against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Mohali-based franchise has orchestrated its own struggles by making poor decisions in the auction and not building around a solid Indian core. Despite their struggles, however, KXIP have had a host of quality players over the years, such as Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and Indian legend Yuvraj Singh.

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Great T20 players who flopped for KXIP in the IPL

Aaron Finch - The master of big knocks. 💪🏻#LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi #DidYouKnow #KXIP pic.twitter.com/yR8o4XZoxC

— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) July 24, 2018

Unfortunately for KXIP, there have been many players at the other end of the spectrum who, either due to lack of opportunities or form, didn't make an impact at the side.

Here are 3 great T20 players who flopped for KXIP in the IPL.

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#3 James Faulkner

James Faulkner had a stint at KXIP before his successful spell at the Rajasthan Royals

After playing one game for the now-defunct Pune Warriors India, James Faulkner was bought by KXIP in the 2012 auction. But in only 2 games for the franchise, the Australian scored 14 runs and picked up 3 wickets while leaking runs at an economy rate of 9.03.

By the time Faulkner featured in the IPL for KXIP, he had already made his T20I debut for the Kangaroos, although an ODI debut was still almost a year away. However, he wasn't backed by the KXIP management, who didn't really have many quality pacers to call upon.

Faulkner was released by the team and he made the switch to the Rajasthan Royals, for whom he scalped 47 wickets in 42 games, along with a handy 382 runs with the bat at an average of 22.47 and a strike rate of 146.92.

The 30-year-old hasn't been seen in the IPL since 2017, though.

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#2 Thisara Perera

Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera's journeyman IPL career hasn't gone to plan

A player who has played for as many a 6 franchises in the IPL, Thisara Perera's numbers in the league aren't great. In 37 matches in the IPL, the Sri Lankan has managed only 422 runs at an average of 19.18 and 31 wickets at an economy rate of 8.73.

Among these various unsuccessful spells was a stint at KXIP for the 2014 and 2015 seasons of the IPL. Perera played only 2 games for the side, with neither game coming in KXIP's run to the IPL final in 2014, and scored only 12 runs and picked up only 1 wicket at an economy rate of 9.17.

It must also be noted that the all-rounder was on the back of his best-ever IPL season, in which he scored 233 runs and picked up 19 wickets for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Perera has been without an IPL team since the 2016 edition, in which he played for the Rising Pune Supergiant.

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#1 Aaron Finch

Australian white-ball captain Aaron Finch has not been able to replicate his T20I form in the IPL

The spell on this list that is most recent in memory, Aaron Finch's stint at KXIP in 2018 was a nightmare for everyone involved.

Australia's limited-overs captain, who has played for 7 franchises in the IPL, scored only 134 runs in the 10 games that he played for Ravichandran Ashwin's side as they finished 7th on the points table at the end of the league phase, behind only the Delhi Capitals. Finch hit only 14 boundaries in these 10 innings, with the main reason being him demoted in the batting order to allow Chris Gayle and KL Rahul to open.

The destructive opener will play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2020 IPL, and his pyrotechnics in the powerplay could make or break Virat Kohli's side's season. Finch will certainly need to improve upon his recent IPL performances in the 2020 edition for RCB.

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