IPL 7: Season Preview - Kings XI Punjab

Mitchell Johnson

“Come on, bulaava aaya hai.” Well, the “bulaava” almost didn’t come with all the controversy surrounding the IPL and a couple of its teams lately. Now that it’s here, let’s put all that behind us and look forward to what promises to be a crackerjack of a season!

The Kings XI Punjab have put up mediocre performances in the last few seasons of the league and haven’t been able to perform as well as they would have liked. Barring the first season, they haven’t been able to make a semi-final appearance. A good auction however, has propagated KXIP from a pushover to one of the strongest teams on paper.

The retention of Miller was discernible. The retention of Manan Vohra however, quite frankly, was astonishing. So much so that Manan Vohra himself didn’t expect it. I may not be able to comprehend the reasons behind his retention, but the KXIP management must have had their reasons.

Trump Cards:

David Miller: If the Kings XI Punjab are to have a good outing this season, the performances of this man will be of paramount importance. One of the best finishers in the world at the moment, he is capable of single handedly turning a match on its head. On his day, he could belittle the world’s best bowlers and make them seem ordinary. He set the IPL ablaze last season with his match winning century against RCB. Let’s see what he has to offer in this edition.

Glenn Maxwell: The entire cricketing fraternity has seen what Maxwell is capable of in the recently concluded World T20. No one has ever doubted his abilities. He is probably the only one other than AB de Villiers who can pull off ramp shots and reverse sweeps more often than not against quality attacks. In his career up until now, however, Maxwell has lacked the consistency. Hopefully the World T20 has brought about his second coming. If Maxwell can find his touch this season, spectators can be assured of entertainment and undoubtedly KXIP will be able to churn out good performances.

Mitchell Johnson: Mitch and his Mo are going to be back this IPL season! The KXIP management and their fans would have breathed a sigh of relief as Mitch was announced fit for this season. The Australian summer was a summer owned by Mitch. He is quicker and more ruthless than we’ve ever seen him. In one of his articles about the difference a lethal Mitchell Johnson has made to the Australian side, Sanjay Manjrekar said: “When a batsman is consumed by thoughts of protecting his body, protecting the stumps is not a preoccupation anymore.” The English and the South Africans wouldn’t disagree to that. Such is the effect a tearaway fast bowler like Mitch can have.

Also, George Bailey and his captaincy will play a huge role. Virender Sehwag too will be critical if they are to succeed. Can Sehwag use the IPL as a platform to script a comeback? Only time will tell.

Bowling Department:

The bowling department does not have any big names apart from Mitchell Johnson. The likes of Parwinder Awana, Sandeep Sharma, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Rishi Dhawan will have to step up. A young Sandeep Sharma could be dangerous in the early overs as he has can swing the ball a country mile. They do have an experienced spinner in Murali Kartik in their ranks and Glenn Maxwell can roll his arm over for a few overs.

Batting Department:

The batting has a lot of big names including Miller, Maxwell, Bailey and Sehwag. However, the performances of the local lads like Cheteshwar Pujara, Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra will also play a vital role. It’s a chance for Manan Vohra to prove that his retention was a good move. Lately, Sehwag hasn’t been opening the innings in matches he has played. It will be interesting to see if he does so in this IPL or not.

Likely XI:

Manan Vohra/Mandeep Singh, Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Mitchell Johnson, Rishi Dhawan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Murali Kartik, Sandeep Sharma.

Shaun Marsh and Thisara Perera are two hugely talented overseas players who are not likely to make the 11. When a former recipient of the orange cap is likely to be benched, it sure does look like a strong team, doesn’t it?

The Kings kickstart their IPL against the Super Kings, the most consistent of the IPL teams so far on April 18. Dhoom Punjabi!