IPL 2020 | Kings XI Punjab part ways with David Miller
Kings XI Punjab has decided to retain most of their squad for the upcoming IPL season, having released seven players. However, with a giant purse of Rs. 42.7 crore in addition to the Rs. 85 crore for each team, they have the option to rebuild their entire squad come the auction in Kolkata.
Although they had an underwhelming season in 2019, Kings XI Punjab have chosen not to chalk off their entire squad and start over from scratch. KL Rahul and Chris Gayle will continue to provide the impetus at the top, while the likes of Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, and Mandeep Singh form a solid Indian batting core.
West Indian Nicholas Pooran may not have fired on all cylinders last season, however, the management will hope he can extend the glimpses of brilliance he did reveal. Krishnappa Gowtham (who was traded in from Rajasthan Royals), Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Murugan Ashwin will handle the spin division, while the pace attack will be led by Mohammed Shami, with the help of Arshdeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen. Jagadeesha Suchith, Harpreet Brar, and Darshan Nalkande complete the list.
On the other hand, they have released the likes of David Miller, who has been a long-time player at the franchise and served as their captain several times. Moises Henriques, Sam Curran, and Andrew Tye are the other foreigners that have been released, and among the Indian crop, Varun Chakravarthy, Prabhsimran Singh, and Agnivesh Ayachi have found themselves without a franchise again.
Heading into the players’ auction with the largest purse among all eight franchises, the kings from Punjab can either rebuild their squad all over or splash the money on some marquee players.