KXIP in IPL 2020: The coronavirus outbreak has spoiled all the entertainments in the world. As the coronavirus is spreading all around the world, sports are suspended or postponed all around the globe. The three-match ODI series between India and South Africa are also postponed.
With the 13th season of Indian Premier League is a few weeks away, there was a doubt over the possibility of the cash-rich league. The Indian government has decided to play the IPL without an audience on the ground so that the coronavirus will not spread to others. The Indian government has also banned the Visa until 15th April to restrict the people to enter into India.
The overseas players can’t enter India if they don’t get the Visa. The IPL franchises are not interested to play the upcoming season of the IPL without their overseas players. As a result, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to postpone the IPL which will now start from 15th April. However, even if the government allows the overseas players to travel to India, the other cricket boards might not allow their players to participate in the cash-rich league.
It would not be surprising if the IPL franchises are forced to play with the Indian cricketers only. But, we take a look at the strongest Kings XI Punjab team if their overseas players are available for the upcoming season of IPL.
Openers:
KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal:
KL Rahul has been in tremendous form since he joined Kings XI Punjab in 2018. He smashed the fastest IPL fifty in his first-ever innings for his new franchise in 2018. Since then, he has been phenomenal in international cricket as well.
He is one of the most complete cricketers in the shorter formats of the game, especially in the T20Is for his country. He would look to open the innings for his franchise along with his best friend, Mayank Agarwal. Another Karnataka born cricketer is in fine form and would look to gather the opportunity if he gets a chance to open the innings.
Middle-order: Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, and Mandeep Singh
Another Karnataka-born cricketer who can switch his innings according to the situation is none other than Karun Nair. He is one of the most experienced players. At number three, Karun Nair will look to settle and play the big shots during the death overs.
Sarfaraz Khan and Mandeep Singh are the other middle-order players, who can play the sensible knocks as well as the destructive knocks. Sarfaraz Khan is known for his unorthodox shots and can score boundaries without taking the risk. They would look to take the role of finishers in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.
All-rounders: Deepak Hooda and K Gowtham
Deepak Hooda will bat at 4 down for his new IPL franchise. Hooda, who is a good batsman, can roll his arms when his team needs it. The former Sunrisers Hyderabad player is a good hitter, who can hit big shots in the death overs. He would look to do the same job for KXIP.
K Gowtham will be the primary allrounder for the Kings XI Punjab. Gowtham is someone who loves to put the batsmen under the pressure in the powerplay overs. The all-rounder from Karnataka can also play big shots as he used to play for his former franchise, Rajasthan Royals.
Bowlers: M Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Ishan Porel and Ravi Bishnoi
The Tamil Nadu spinner, Murugan Ashwin will be the main spinner of KXIP. He is the experienced cricketer among the other spinners in the franchise. He would look to take responsibility in the upcoming season of IPL. He is also a good hitter of the ball. Ravi Bishnoi will give the support to Murugan Ashwin and K Gowtham. Bishnoi has impressed everyone with his wicket-taking abilities in the recently concluded U19 Cricket World Cup.
The Indian pacer, Mohammad Shami will lead the bowling unit for Kings XI Punjab in the next season of the Indian Premier League. He has all the experience to lead the bowling unit straightaway. He is someone who can trouble the batsmen in both the powerplay and the death overs.
Ishan Porel will be the secondary pacer of the team. He is one of the successful cricketers in the Indian domestic arena. He has 61 wickets from 22 games in first-class games, 41 wickets from 25 games in List-A games and 13 wickets from 13 innings in the T20s.
