Kings XI Punjab are perhaps the most inconsistent team in the IPL. The last couple of seasons saw the Punjab side reach the highest of highs and lowest of lows. They were runners-up to the eventual winner, Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, but in 2015, they were ranked at the bottom of the league.
Since then Kings XI have released their captain George Bailey and have a new captain in David Miller. Miller’s selection as captain is a surprise as he hasn’t performed all that well in the recent past and his performance in IPL 2015 was abject, to say the least. In international cricket too, he has made only four fifties since 2015 – so his record is nothing great to shout home about.
But with Bailey being given the sack, Shaun Marsh is expected to feature more often for the Kings XI team. Marsh has always been a talented played in T20 cricket, but he hasn’t been given the chances that he should have got, whether at the international level or at the club level.
Gujarat Lions are the freshest side in the IPL. They start without any disadvantage whatsoever. They have one of the most impressive batting lineups in the IPL and an eclectic mix of foreign and domestic talent.
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Gujarat Lions have the formidable opening pair of Brendon McCullum, who has retired from international cricket, and Aaron Finch, who has been relieved of Australia’s T20 captaincy. They are both amazing power hitters and should take full advantage of the opening overs in all matches.
Gujarat Lions have a decent bowling attack too, with Dale Steyn taking the new ball for them. They have Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner, two brilliant bowling all-rounders, and absolute stars in T20 cricket. And they have the local boy Ravindra Jadeja too. The only problem for the Lions is to pick the best playing eleven given the number of talented players available to them.
Kings XI would be hoping to get more out of their star player, Glenn Maxwell, who didn’t do much in their 2015 campaign – which was why they finished at the bottom of the league in the first place. When Maxwell is good, he is very good, as he showed in the 2014 IPL. Kings XI would want the 2014 Maxwell back.
Gujarat Lions are a formidable side and we expect them to go very far in their first IPL season. They are actually one of the favorites to win the IPL 2016 and why not- they have the players for it, all proven performers at this stage.
Kings XI on the other hand are heavily dependent on their overseas contingent and do not really have any great Indian talent in their ranks. They will struggle in IPL 2016.
The Teams
Kings XI Punjab: 1 M Vijay, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 David Miller (capt), 6 Gurkeerat Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Sandeep Sharma, 10 Mohit Sharma, 11 Anureet Singh
Gujarat Lions: 1 Brendon McCullum , 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Suresh Raina (capt), 5 Dinesh Karthik, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 James Faulkner, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Pravin Tambe, 11 Dhawal Kulkarni
Match Conditions
The Mohali track is expected to give a lot of assistance to batsmen, and not much help to spinners. Teams are better off going with pace for this.
Watch Kings XI Punjab take on Gujarat Lions in IPL 2016 tonight at 8:00 pm live on Sony Six HD.
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