How all 8 IPL teams will line up for their opening game

Kings XI Punjab

The Kings XI Punjab will look to rewrite their fate

The Kings XI Punjab announced their arrival in style in the inaugural season when they managed to reach the semifinals of the tournament. Under the leadership of George Bailey, the Kings also made it to the finals in 2014. The team from the north were desperate for a leader who could guide them to glory, ahead of the auction, and they found him in Ravichandran Ashwin.

In the absence of Aaron Finch, the Universe Boss Chris Gayle will open the batting alongside Mayank Agarwal. Karnataka teammates Karun Nair and KL Rahul will bat at number three and four respectively with Yuvraj Singh and David Miller to follow. Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will ensure a fiery end to the innings while batting at number 7. Later in the tournament, Finch may take a spot in the middle order where he has been successful for Australia recently.

T20 specialist Andrew Tye will lead the pace attack along with his partner Mohit Sharma. As things stand, the Kings XI Punjab look like one of the most balanced sides in the competition.

Playing XI: Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, KL Rahul(wk), Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, Marcus Stoinis, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Axar Patel, Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma.