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New Delhi, May 24: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) looked one of the most promising sides on paper and a new-look side under the leadership of Ravichandran Ashwin started their campaign with a bang.
Kings XI Punjab won five of their first six games and looking at their scintillating wins in the early stages everyone termed them favourites for playoffs.
IPL Special Page | Stats | Results
Here Mykhel gives a report card of Kings XI Punjab based on their performance in the league phase.
WHAT WENT RIGHT:
KL Rahul, who finally had emerged from the shadows of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, was rearing to prove his mettle in the cash-rich league and the Karnataka batsman did just that.
The right-handed classy batsman from Karnataka struck fastest fifty of the Indian Premier League off 14 deliveries in his very first game for KXIP and signalled the opposition bowlers to be ready to face his heat in the season.
After Rahul gave an explosive start with the bat, it was Universe Boss Chris Gayle's turn to do the talking with his bat. Gayle, who was let go by his former franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore and didn't find any buyers on the opening day of the two-day IPL auction, struck a fluent fifty in his debut game for Punjab.
The season saw some power packed hitting from the Kings. The performances of these individuals left the fans craving for more.#LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi #KXIP #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/PBsYPe4xFA
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) May 23, 2018
Together, Rahul and Gayle gave Punjab an aggressive start in the powerplays and laid a foundation for the middle-order to capitalise upon the good start.
Rahul, in particular, had a memorable IPL 2018 as he played some of his finest knocks in this season. The stylish batsman from Karnataka sometimes emerged as the lone warrior for his side and did the bulk of the scoring for his team all through the season. Overall Rahul scored 659 runs from 14 games
With the rest of the batsmen were also chipping in the middle-order in the starting games Punjab soon emerged as the most balanced squad and a team to beat. The Virender Sehwag-mentored side started the season just like this former India opener began his innings.
Presence of a shrewd spinner in Ashwin and mystery spinner from Afghanistan - Mujeeb Zadran - with Axar Patel present on the bench made their spin department lethal.
Pacers like Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran and Mohit Sharma were capable enough to trouble opposition batsmen with their varied mix of pace and accuracy. With 24 wickets in his kitty from 14 games, Tye emerged as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament and a front-runner of winning Purple Cap.
WHAT WENT WRONG:
Having finished the first-half of the tournament on a high, Kings suddenly lost the momentum when they reached Indore - their second home. It seemed the Lions arrived at Holkar Stadium without their fortune.
Suddenly, their batting which was looking indomitable turned vulnerable and started crumbling every now and then. While Rahul held guard from his end but he never got the support from the opposite end.
We had our moments in the first half of the tournament and not upto it in the business end, lots of learnings and positives from this campaign, looking forward to better things in the future and thanks to all those who supported us @lionsdenkxip this year. #IPL2018
— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) May 20, 2018
Mujeeb Ur Rahman's injury in the final stages of the league season also dented them as skipper Ashwin had to look towards Axar Patel, who couldn't deliver this time around.
But more than their bowling, it was batting that lost its flair in the second half of the season and KXIP struggled to chase down even low totals.
KXIP summary of the season:
First 6 matches - Won 5, Lost 1
Last 8 matches - Won 1, Lost 7
Result: Disqualified and finished 7th in the points table.
Highest run-getter:
KL Rahul: 659 (50s: 6)
Highest Wicket taker:
Andrew Tye: 17 (Eco: 8, Best: 4/16)
ROAD AHEAD:
With a disappointing season this year, team management and skipper Ashwin would hope to start the next edition on a positive note by taking lessons from this season. KXIP will have to make some improvement in their middle-order next year.
You have always backed the Kings in their ups and downs.
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) May 21, 2018
Here's a heartfelt message from CEO Mr. Satish Menon to all 📖#LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi #KXIP #KingsXIPunjab pic.twitter.com/bJPcqoCoDL
Disappointment:
Yuvraj Singh: The left-handed batsman from Punjab returned to his first IPL franchise on a promising note. Purchased at a base price of Rs 2 crore, many felt Yuvraj still had a lot to deliver. But the stylish batsman scored just 65 runs from 8 outings. He averaged a meek 10.83 and failed with the bat every time he walked into the middle. The Yuvraj in this season wasn't even the shadow of his previous self.
