IPL 2020: Two players KXIP might release ahead of the auction

Kings XI Punjab witnessed a mediocre season in 2019 in spite of a bright start to their campaign. In the first six matches, Kings XI emerged on the better side of the result with four wins to maintain their position in the top 2 for a considerable time in the edition.

The Ravichandran Ashwin led side, however, couldn't replicate their performances in the second half of the tournament, and won only two games in their last eight matches. It was a repeat of their performance from the previous edition after they failed to capitalize on their start in 2018.

The major reason for their failure was their tedency to depend on a few players to make match-winning contributions and lack of support from their big buys of the season.

Punjab had a very busy outing in the IPL auction ahead of the 12th season, however, none of their costly buys could could live up-to the expectations and failed miserably to get an opportunity to showcase their talent.

The young likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, who were among the most expensive buys in the auction, didn't do enough for the team's cause. There will be a few players that Kings XI might want to release or either rope in at a relatively less auction price in the upcoming auction.

Let's take a look at two players who can be released ahead of the IPL auction 2020:

#1 Varun Chakravarthy

One of the costliest buys in the last IPL auction, Varun Chakravarthy became an overnight sensation after he was bought for a staggering amount of INR 8.4 Cr by Kings XI Punjab after an intense bidding war.

A mystery leg-spinner, Chakravarthy was in the headlines after his successful stint in the Tamil Nadu domestic T20 League. With a plenty of variations in his bowling, Chakravarthy was viewed as the spinner to watch out for in the 2019 edition. 

But to everyone’s surprise, he was taken to the cleaners in his first outing with the ball against KKR at Eden Gardens. After an unfortunate start to his IPL career, he was ruled out due to his fractured finger and couldn’t take any further part in the edition. 

It won’t be any surprise if the 28-year old is released ahead of the auction this year.

#2 Prabhsimran Singh

A hard-hitting young wicket-keeper batsman, Prabhsimran Singh claim to fame came when he smashed 298 from just 301 balls in an Under-23 district tournament. As a result, he was also one of the major highlights of the IPL auction in 2019. 

He was bought by Kings XI Punjab for an auction price of INR 4.8 Cr. The youngster, however, did not get enough opportunities after KL Rahul was chosen as a first-choice wicket-keeper in the side.

Singh found it difficult to earn a spot in the playing XI purely as a batter. In his only appearance in the competition, he was sent to bat at No.7 in the batting order and with nothing to lose, it wasn’t a real indication of what the youngster had to offer in T20 cricket. 

With Rahul still expected to be the frontline wicket-keeper for Kings XI, the franchise might consider dropping the 19-year old ahead of the auction this year.

Cover image credits: Indian Express