April 15, 2014 7:02 AM IST
Right from the inception of the Indian T20 League, Kings XI Punjab, have flown under the radar. Punjab are a team, who do not believe in solo prayers, they pray in unison. They prefer to perform in an ensemble and they have often punched above their weights, akin to New Zealand in the international circuit. With some marquee players added to the roster for the upcoming season, Kings XI now claim a much stronger outlook.
Strengths: Well-round batting, Mitchell Johnson
Punjab's batting carries a heady mix of solidity and firepower. Manan Vohra and David Miller were retained by the think tank ahead of the auction.
Strikers and finishers are of immense value, more so in the modern age. Great golfers are those who play the eighteenth as well as the previous 17. A boxer may dominate the bout but needs that killer finishing punch to seal it. 'Killer Miller' lends that finishing punch. After missing Punjab's first three games of the previous edition, the South African southpaw, came to the party in style with an undefeated 41-ball-80 versus Pune. His full range though was on display against Bangalore during his 38-ball ton in Chandigarh, where anything in his his arc disappeared out of the park.
Glenn Maxwell, another clean hitter of the ball, will be a crucial cog in the Punjab machinery. Articulate and astute, George Bailey will take over as Captain following the departure of Adam Gilchrist. A busy batsman at the crease, the Aussie ace, is also adept at shifting gears depending upon the situation. Meanwhile, Thisara Perera's heists lower down the order are well documented. The local batting contingent of Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh and Gurkeerat Singh, offer solidarity, complementing the firepower of their more illustrious compatriots.
Mitchell's Johnson's speedy recovery from a toe infection augurs well for the side, for he is the leader of the attack.
Weakness:
Punjab may have a fine pace bowling attack comprising Mitch, Beuran Hendricks, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Parvinder Awana, Sandeep Sharma and Rishi Dhawan but their move of not picking a second specialist spinner to Murali Kartik might come back and bite them in the posterior as the tourney progresses. Oh wait, there is the Sehwag conundrum as well. Cast into the wilderness by the national selectors, Virender Sehwag is now just a pale imitation of his former self. While some key contributions can pave way for a re-entry to international cricket, a failure can effectively ring the death knell.
Opportunities:
Punjab have stumbled in the past seasons, predominantly due to lack of resources. This time they have plenty of those with a bright opportunity to progress to the last four.
Threat:
Fifth place with 14 points in 2009. Fifth place again with 14 points in 2011. 6th place with 16 points in 2012. 6th place again with 16 points in 2013. Punjab have not managed to escape from the strands of the mid-table congestion.
Best performance:
Semi-finalists in the inaugural edition.
Worst performance:
The 2009/10 season was a bitter pill to swallow for Punjab as they ended up as bottom-dwellers.
Squad:
George Bailey(c), Shaun Marsh, David Miller, Virender Sehwag, Cheteshwar Pujara, Gurkeerat Singh, Mandeep Singh, Manan Vohra, Rishi Dhawan, Glenn Maxwell,Akshar Patel, Thisara Perera, Wriddhiman Saha, Parvinder Awana, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Beuran Hendricks, Mitchell Johnson, Murali Kartik, Anureet Singh,Karanveer Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Shardul Thakur Shivam Sharma.
