IPL 2019: Report Card at the halfway stage of the tournament

#7 Kings XI Punjab: 6/10

Kings XI has blown hot and cold till now.

Punjab has four wins and as many losses in its kitty, a testament to the team's unpredictability. The ever-so-dependable KL Rahul and universe boss Chris Gayle have ensured that either one of them contributes to a blazing start. They also have scored more than 650 runs together, though in two more matches than the Sunrisers opening duo. However, Kings face the same problems as Sunrisers- an unsettled middle order which is also unable to shift gears in batting.

Though Sarfaraz Khan and Mayank Agarwal have both scored 180+ runs, their scoring rate has been sluggish. Ashwin's captaincy has been decent, however, he has visibly lacked ideas for creating breakthroughs. Every match has seen some middle-order shuffle to see which position suits whom. That they are already done with eight matches leaves them two fewer matches for trial-and-error, compared to a team like SRH.

The bowling is comparatively better, as Shami and Ashwin have both been magnificent with 10 and 9 wickets. Murugan Ashwin has been silently effective, choking the run flow in the middle overs. But Andrew Tye has been a huge letdown and the inadequate assessment of the pitch by the batting department has often left the bowlers with too low a score to defend. Punjab has also desperately missed the late flourishes, except for the past two matches where the openers stayed on to finish things off.

Punjab needs someone like David Miller to take up the finisher's role. They also need a seamer who can assist the in-form bowlers. Adding to that, at least two spots in the middle order are still vacant. Unless they find some quick solution to these woes, a top-four finish can be out of the equation for the Kings.