Despite some positives on the season overall for KXIP, three players disappointed fans with their play.
The Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) started the 11th India Premier League fast, winning five out of their first six matches. Then came a reversal. The team went from the top of the table to out of the playoffs.
Three players, especially, didn’t come through as expected.
Yuvraj Singh (photo, UngreyForever)
Yuvraj Singh: After years away, Singh was back with his original franchise, playing for his home team, Punjab. But he wasn’t at his best. While the stylish left-hander has been picked for huge amounts of money in the auction over the years, I’ve never thought that Singh justified his lofty price tag. This year, he couldn’t make a permanent place in the side because Singh was constantly in and out of the side, scoring just 65 runs in 8 innings at an average of 10.83 and a strike rate of 89.04. These numbers simply aren’t good enough for a middle-order batsman. And, later on in the season, team management sent Axar Patel before Singh when KXIP required 38 off 19 balls. It’s just one reason why Singh might be released by KXIP going into the next year’s auction.
Aaron Finch: KXIP bought Aaron Finch in the auction for a whopping 6.2 Crores. But Finch not only didn’t justify that price tag, he had a disastrous season. He scored only 134 runs in 10 innings at a below-par average of 16.75. Finch has been a match winner for Australia and that’s one reason team management kept backing him in place of David Miller, whom the team brought back by using their RTM card. But Finch kept getting out for low scores. Finch’s only hope now is making a comeback next year.
Axar Patel (photo, CricWindow.in)
Axar Patel: Patel had been a match winner for KXIP over the past few years. That’s the major reason why he was the only player retained before the auction for Punjab. But he disappointed the team with a poor season. Patel took only 3 wickets in 9 games at an economy rate of 8.38. He didn’t do much with the bat, either, scoring only 80 runs in 8 innings. Those numbers aren’t acceptable for a retained player.
