Kings XI Punjab Team in Indian Premier League 2018: List of KXIP Players for VIVO IPL 11

The Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) team has never been short on talent but they have surely been short on titles. Out of the 10 seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), they have managed to make to the Finals only once. They reached the Finals in 2014 and were beaten by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), which denied them the IPL winners’ trophy.

The Kings XI Punjab have spent Rs 67.4 crore out of the Rs 67.5 crore purse they had in this year's IPL Auction. They also have the mercurial and flamboyant Chris Gayle to boost their batting at the top. The Kings XI Punjab has retained just one player before going into 2018 IPL Auction – all-rounder Axar Patel.

They also bought KL Rahul for a whopping Rs. 11 crore who was the highest buy in the auction before Jaydev Unadkat took away that title. Former Chennai Super Kings and Pune Supergiants spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was their second most expensive buy followed by Australia’s Andrew Tye who went for a whopping Rs 7.2 crores. Andrew Tye came to limelight after he took a hat-trick last IPL. R Ashwin who has been a mainstay in the CSK camp for eight seasons will now be a part of KXIP camp.

The Kings XI Punjab team has also made news this year for two unusual picks. Mujeeb Zadran of Afghanistan and Manzoor Dar of Jammu and Kashmir. On this Friday, February 16, Mujeeb Zadran became the youngest player to take a five-for in ODIs. He achieved this task at the age of just 16 years and 325 days in a game against Zimbabwe in Sharjah. The KXIP team had bought Mujeeb for a whopping Rs. 4 crores. It would be exciting to see the rise of this player in the 11th edition of IPL. The inclusion of 24-year-old Manzoor Dar of Jammu and Kashmir is one of the positive stories from IPL. A right-hand batsman is known for his six-hitting prowess, Manzoor Dar would want to make a mark at this stage.

They seem to have a decent side with Aaron Finch and Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, and also India's Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel. Punjab will really be hoping for old war-horses Yuvraj Singh and Chris Gayle to fire to give them plenty on the board.

The team looks interesting on the paper, will they click as a bunch on the field remains to be seen. The team owners and fans will hope they do. The Kings XI Punjab team hasn't named its captain, and it would be interesting to see whom they have. Over the years, in previous editions, they have kept changing their captains and it has not really worked for them.

The Kings XI Punjab play their home games at PCA Stadium in Mohali. This year, they will also be playing some of their home matches at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. The Preity Zinta co-owned franchise has been involved in an intense rivalry with Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians.

FULL KINGS XI PUNJAB SQUAD FOR IPL 2018 [21 Players]

Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Karun Nair, Mujeeb Zadran, Ankit Singh Rajput, David Miller, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Singh Sran, Yuvraj Singh, Christopher Gayle, Ben Dwarshuis, Akshdeep Nath, Manoj Tiwary, Mayank Agarwal, Manzoor Dar, Pardeep Sahu, and Mayank Dagar.

Support Staff

Head Coach: Brad Hodge

Despite having the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Glenn Maxwell and David Miller and other stalwarts at various stages, KXIP just couldn’t make the cut. However, with the 11th edition of IPL, the franchise will hope to turn around their fortunes.

The 11th edition of the IPL will begin on April 7 and it will be interesting to see how does the Kings XI Punjab campaign fare this season. With a lot of T20 specialists in the side, KXIP can turn out to be the dark horse of the tournament. Stay tuned for the all the latest updates on Indian Premier League 2018 and Kings XI Punjab.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 19, 2018 11:24 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).