Kings XI Punjab would be aiming to make amends this season when they begin their campaign against newbies Gujarat Lions in their IPL opener in Mohali on Monday.
Let us have a look at the strengths and the possible line-up of both teams
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The team owned by Preity Zinta is now led by South Africa southpaw David Miller. Last year, the team was led by Australian George Bailey. The mentor of the team is the explosive former Indian opener Virender Sehwag.
On paper, Kings XI looks a balanced side with power-hitters, all-rounders and good T20 bowlers. However, it has a stuttered in the previous IPL seasons. Last season, Kings XI finished at the bottom of the table.
The Indian Test opener Murali Vijay, who played for CSK, has a very good IPL record. The mainstay is followed by Manan Vohra, David Miller, Glenn Maxwell and Saha. The team also has Shaun Marsh.
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David Miller will be scratching his head to select four foreign players, including himself. Automatic choices will be David Miller, Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Abbott. The fourth spot will be up for grabs for Johnson and Shaun Marsh. Mitchell Johnson, though retired, is still a force to reckon with.
The bowling department will be led by Kyle Abbott, Mohit Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Axar Patel. The team has a part-time spinner in Glenn Maxwell.
My Punjab playing XI will be
Murali Vijay, Manan Vohra, David Miller, Glenn Maxwell, Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha, Rishi Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Kyle Abbott, Mitchell Johnson and KC Cariappa.
Gujarat Lions
New to the IPL, this team also has some good all-rounders, power-hitters and bowlers. The team is led by the most consistent IPL campaigner and former CSK player Suresh Raina. Though not in good form, Suresh Raina can turn match-winner on a good day.
The team's batting will revolve around Suresh Raina, Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Dinesh Karthik, Dwayne Smith and Ishan Kishan, the Under-19 captain. It might be a tossup between Finch and Smith for the opening spot as McCullum will be a certainty. Both Smith and Finch are power-hitters. Smith has an advantage as he can bowl his slow medium pace.
The bowling department is led by Dale Steyn, James Faulkner, Ravindra Jadeja, Pravin Tambe, Dhawal Kulkarni and Shadab Jakati.
Gujarat Lions, if it performs to its potential, can certainly finish in the top four slots. The players, taken from other franchises, have to gel in the new team under Raina. But all are experienced campaigners in IPL.
My Gujarat Lions playing XI will be
Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch or Dwayne Smith, Suresh Raina, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Dwayne Bravo, Dale Steyn, Pravin Tambe, Dhawal Kulkarni, Praveen Kumar or Pradeep Sangwan.
The full teams
Kings XI Punjab: David Miller (Capt.), Kyle Abbott, Murali Vijay, Manan Vohra, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Anureet Singh, Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Pardeep Sahu, Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Marcus Stoinis, Swapnil Singh, Armaan Jaffer, Farhaan Behardien, KC Cariappa, Rishi Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Nikhil Naik, Shardul Thakur
Gujarat Lions: Suresh Raina (Capt.), Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Dale Steyn, Pravin Tambe, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shadab Jakati, Dinesh Karthik, Shivil Kaushik, Dhawal Kulkarni, Praveen Kumar, Pradeep Sangwan, Jaydev Shah, Umang Sharma, Andrew Tye, Sarabjit Ladda, Akshdeep Nath, Amit Mishra, Paras Dogra, Eklavya Dwivedi.