IPL 2020: Ranking the teams based on their bench strength

#6 Kings XI Punjab

Chris Gayle

Predicted Starting XI: Chris Gayle, KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Sheldon Cottrell, Ishan Porel

Kings XI Punjab have plenty of talented batsmen in their ranks. KL Rahul is in excellent batting form and has also done well behind the stumps for the national team. There is a possibility that he will guard the stumps in the IPL as well which makes Pooran tentative in the team. For now, we have included Pooran in our predicted starting XI.

Karun Nair was retained for ₹5.6 crores and has played 69 IPL matches overall. He provides an excellent domestic option. Mandeep Singh, highly-rated Prabhsimran Singh, and pocket dynamite Sarfaraz Khan will be the other batting reserves in the team.

Gowtham was transferred to KXIP from Rajasthan Royals for a whopping ₹6.2 crore. He will likely get a place in the starting XI which means that a capable all-rounder such as James Neesham will provide a back-up option. Darshan Nalkande will be the domestic reserve in the all-rounders' department.

There are quite a few talented reserves for Murugan Ashwin in the spin department. Young Afghani sensation Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, recently roped in Jagdeesha Suchith, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, and Tajinder Dhillon will form the backup options. Mujeeb and Bishnoi are set to be the first backup options and KXIP might also play two specialist spinners on particular pitches such as the Chepauk.

KXIP roped in England's Chris Jordan for ₹ 3 crore to bolster their pace department. The Windies player has plenty of experience playing at the International level as well. South Africa's Hardus Viljoen and India's Arshdeep Singh will be the other two speedsters whose services will be at the disposal of KXIP if need be.