The franchise’s squad changes mirror their fluctuating fortunes, which means some legends miss out
Gaurav Sundararaman and Saurabh Somani02-May-2020ESPNcricinfo LtdKings XI PunjabKings XI Punjab have shown promise in many seasons but have not been able to deliver during the crunch moments. In some seasons, they were in a good position to make the play-offs but failed to do so. It was not easy to pick an all-time XI for a franchise that has constantly chopped and changed its sides, with five different coaches in the last five seasons and inconsistency in team selection over the years.ALSO READ: ESPNcricinfo’s all-time Delhi Capitals XIThe picks
There were not too many overseas performers who have stood out for Kings XI over the 12 seasons. Shaun Marsh, David Miller and Glenn Maxwell made the cut for various impactful performances they had whenever the team won and are the top three run-getters for Kings XI. KL Rahul was another no-brainer, with his scintillating performances in the last two seasons. Wridhhiman Saha’s 2014 season was good enough for him to make the the side. Among the bowlers, the spin duo of Axar Patel and Piyush Chawla also walked in due to their consistent performances.The debate
While three overseas spots were sealed, the fourth spot had a few contenders. Adam Gilchrist, Ryan Harris, Andrew Tye and Mitchell Johnson all had various memorable moments. However, none of these bowlers really had the impact that Gilchrist had for Kings XI at the top. He is also a natural captaincy candidate, even though his inclusion means Saha might have to patrol the outfield. With many Indian bowlers putting up good performances, we felt the fourth overseas spot could go to a batsman rather than a bowler. The bowlers threw up some interesting discussions. Domestic bowlers dominated the pacers. Irfan Pathan, Sandeep Sharma, Parvinder Awana, Praveen Kumar and Mohit Sharma were vying for three slots. Irfan had 47 wickets at 7.79 and an impressive strike rate of 19.1. The fact that he can bat gave him an edge over the others. Praveen Kumar, although not high up among the wickets, got a boost due to his ability to strike early and bowl tight (his economy rate for Kings XI is 6.96) and was chosen ahead of Mohit Sharma. The last bowling spot went to Sandeep Sharma, an outstanding powerplay and death bowler, and the leading wicket-taker among pacers for Kings XI with 71 wickets. He has dismissed Virat Kohli six times, Chris Gayle four times and David Warner thrice. Sandeep walks in purely for setting up games for Kings XI with the ball.ALSO READ: ESPNcricinfo’s all-time Chennai Super Kings XIVirender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh were others options discussed but with the top order dominated by overseas players, and the duo’s performances for the team being patchy, there was no place for these two legends. This gives the team six batsmen with two bowling allrounders. There are five frontline bowlers plus some part time offspin by Maxwell.Playing XI stats for KXIP1. Shaun Marsh
71 matches (2008-2017)
Runs 2477, Ave 39.95, SR 132.742. Adam Gilchrist (capt and wk)
34 matches (2011-2013)
Runs 849, Ave 27.38, SR 127.28
26 ct, 3 stumpings3. KL Rahul
28 matches (2018-2019)
Runs 1252, Ave 54.43, SR 146.604. Glenn Maxwell
57 matches (2014-17)
Runs 1275, Ave 25.00, SR 165.365. David Miller
82 matches (2012-19)
Runs 1974, Ave 35.35, SR 139.406. Wriddhiman Saha
54 matches (2014-17)
Runs 1190, Ave 24.79, SR 130.487. Axar Patel
72 matches (2014-18)
Wkts 69, Ave 27.36, ER 7.418. Irfan Pathan
42 matches (2008-2010)
Wkts 47, Ave 24.80, ER 7.799. Piyush Chawla
87 matches (2008-2013)
Wkts 84, Ave 26.63, ER 7.5210. Praveen Kumar
44 matches (2011-2013)
Wkts 31, Ave 37.16, ER 6.9611. Sandeep Sharma
56 matches (2013-2017)
Wkts 71, Ave 22.35, ER 7.77
All-time IPL XIs,