The Priety Zinta co-owned team went the Rajasthan Royals way by appointing an Australian legend as their coach-cum-captain. Adam Gilchrist who was picked up by the Kings XI Punjab during the player auctions in 2011 will be given the responsibility of both coaching and captaining the side. The team management will hope the team goes on to do what the Rajasthan Royals achieved in the first ever edition.
Punjab's main strength lies with their domestic players with a good number of impact players but their strength in foreign players too is quite good. They will be hoping Shaun Marsh show the kind of form he did during the inaugural edition while a lot of hopes will also be tied to experienced legs of their skipper Adam Gilchrist and former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood.
STRENGTHS
Punjab's biggest strength will be the domestic players at their disposal. The likes of Praveen Kumar, Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar, R Satish and Paul Valthaty will be key for them throughout the campaign. Apart from them they can also count on players like Sunny Singh, Bhargav Bhatt, Saulabh Srivastava, who have been playing in the IPL for a while now, to do the job for their team. The fact that David Hussey is in splendid form in recent times is an added boost for the Punjab side.
WEAKNESSES
Punjab's main concern will be their over-dependence on a few key players. They count too heavily on Gilchrist, Valthaty and Marsh to provide them with a rocking start failing which the team could find itself in a terrible position. The bowling line-up is a slightly weak one as it does not possess a quality international pacer.
STAR PLAYERS
Adam Gilchrist: All eyes will be Adam Gilchrist and how he inspires his team to defy the odds and make them punch above their weight. Gilchirst will also be a vital cog while batting as his power hitting up front could prove vital for the 2008 semi-finalists.
Shaun Marsh: Shaun Marsh set the tournament alight in its first season with some breathtaking strokeplay. He has not been able to come up with similar performances since but the opponents will know what the Australian is capable of and if he ticks off Punjab could well prove to be a surprise factor in this edition of the IPL.
PLAYER TO WATCH OUT FOR
Praveen Kumar: Praveen Kumar has often been India's go to bowler in the past. With a good deal of experience behind him, the ability to move the ball both ways and his myriad variations, PK could be the decisive factor for his team.
Key Player Timelines
Stuart Broad is nursing a calf strain and could return after 2 weeks. Ryan Harris is on national duty and will join the team late in April to bolster the bowling line up.
KXIP in IPL
| Played | Won | Lost | Tie | N/R | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 27 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 48.12 |
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
| Year | Position |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Losing semi-finalists |
| 2009 | 6th |
| 2010 | 8th |
| 2011 | 5th |
