They endured a disastrous run the last time around to finish at the bottom of the heap and 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. Kings XI Punjab did not make any big buys this year and have a new captain in South African David Miller in place of Australian George Bailey who was released after leading the side to the last place in the previous season. Virender Sehwag has also retired and he will serve as team mentor this season. The Preity Zinta-owned side continues to lack the team balance as it has not added any significant player, only snapping the likes of all-rounders Farhaan Behardien and Marcus Stoinis, seamer Mohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh. Last season, their batsmen lacked consistency and whenever they did well, the bowlers let the side down. On the other hand, debutants Gujarat Lions have a balanced side with top-class performers in both batting and bowling. They have explosive batsmen in Brendon McCullum, captain Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch and a plenty of top-notch all-rounders in Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and James Faulkner.
Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul blamed his side's inability to defend a decent total against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match to the dew factor
Check out the squads of the eight participating teams in IPL 8.
Punjab Kings set a new IPL record for the lowest total ever successfully defended -- 111.
Mumbai Indians seek to maintain momentum against Kings XI Punjab.
The tremors of an earthquake in Afghanistan has forced new Indian Premier League team Gujarat Lions to evacuate their hotel on the eve of their first match in the competition. The National Centre for Seismology in India has reported the epicentre of the earthquake to be in the Hindukush mountain range on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The quake measured 6.8 on the Richter scale. The aftershocks were throughout northern India, including Chandigarh were the Lions are set to face home side Kings XI Punjab at the PCA Stadium on Monday. Moments after the earthquake hit, the Gujarat players and support staff were whisked out of the building by team management and to a safe area outside. "I was sitting on the end of my bed fixing a cricket bat and it felt like the bed started to move," the Lions' Australian paceman Andrew Tye told cricket.com.au outside the hotel.
Sunrisers Hyderabad produced a solid batting performance to beat Kings XI Punjab by seven wickets and virtually secure their place in the play-offs of the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Virender Sehwag credits Axar Patel and Mitchell Johnson for the victory.
Cricket Australia on Wednesday said fast bowler Mitchell Johnson will not immediately join Kings XI Punjab in India for the Oppo Champions League Twenty20 due to a rib injury.
St Lucia Zouks is one of the six teams competing in the CPL. The team is led by former West Indies captain Darren Sammy.
Frequently changing captains and coaches has hurt Kings XI Punjab in the past and that is why the franchise has decided to work on a three-year plan under Anil Kumble and K L Rahul to take the side forward, co-owner Ness Wadia said.
Kings XI Punjab may have shown their mettle, winning two games so far in the Oppo Champions League T20, but the team coach Sanjay Bangar said that there is still a scope for improvement.
After a below-par effort against Pune Supergiants, the Delhi Darevils will be looking to hit the straps rightaway with their prime players set to comeback in the playing XI as they take on bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab in an IPL encounter at Mohali on Saturday. Following three horrendous seasons, the Daredevils have had a decent outing so far under Rahul Dravid's mentorship and Zaheer Khan's captaincy, having won five of their eight games and are placed third in the eight-team table. There has been no standout performer as such but contributions from most of the players in their five victories has made it clear that Dravid's men are certainly not dependant on any one individual to carry the team forward.
They might be set to finish IPL-8 in the last spot but Kings XI Punjab skipper George Bailey feels his side has everything to play for a win.
The cola war between Coke and Pepsi is extending to the IPL turf, with Coca Cola replacing rival PepsiCo as sponsors of Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in the fourth season of the T20 league.
Perennial under-achievers Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab will look to recover from opening losses and put their campaign back on track.
Shami will be given adequate rest in between matches, said Kings XI Punjab coach Mike Hesson
Still very much in the play-offs race after registering their fourth victory on the trot, Kings XI Punjab skipper K L Rahul said his side has at last made winning a habit after a slow start in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Royal Challengers Bangalore and much more.
Faf du Plessis's half-century and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's late assault helped Chennai Super Kings register a comfortable 22-run victory against Kings XI Punjab in the IPL match, in Chennai, on Saturday.
Kings XI Punjab released explosive South Africa batsman David Miller after eight IPL seasons along with Englishman Sam Curran and Australian pacer Andrew Tye.
South Africa batsman Hashim Amla has reportedly been roped in by Kings XI Punjab to replace Shaun Marsh, who was forced to cut short his Indian Premier League season with a back injury.
As the battle to reach the play-off stage in IPL gets fierce, Kings XI Punjab find themselves in a must-win situation as they take on Deccan Chargers at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Sunday.
Zaheer Khan made an impressive comeback from a year-long hiatus complementing Nathan Coulter-Nile brilliantly as Delhi Daredevils spanked Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets in an Indian Premier League match on Friday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Kolkata Knight Riders and much more.
Kings XI Punjab will once again be facing a 'do-or-die' situation during their penultimate round encounter against table toppers Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Former champions Mumbai Indians take on last year's runners-up Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium in a a game that promises plenty of action while offering a chance for both teams to get into winning ways after losses in their lung-openers.
Anil Kumble was also keen to retain Ashwin, who captained the side in the previous two editions.
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 48 in IPL 12: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kings XI Punjab.
Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer was fined for Rs 24 lakh for his team's slow over rate during the Qualifier 2 match against Mumbai Indians.
KL Rahul and Co would like forget the unsavoury incident and focus on the task ahead.
Their pride bruised following disastrous campaigns, Kings XI Punjab and Rising Pune Supergiants will look for a graceful exit from the ninth edition of the IPL when they square off against each other for one last time in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Supergiants are coming into the contest after a victory over Delhi Daredevils at the same venue, their home ground, while Punjab have lost their last two outings -- against RCB and table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad. Punjab's fourth and last win this season had come at this very ground, when they had got the better of Mumbai Indians.
Their confidence restored after a bumpy start, a transformed Delhi Daredevils will look to stretch Kings XI Punjab to the limit when they face off in the Indian Premier League (IPL), in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Seventeen years after one of the IPL's darkest chapters, the infamous 'Slapgate' scandal involving Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth has surfaced.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Sunrisers Hyderabad and much more.
Rajneesh Gupta presents statistical summary of Rajasthan Royals and much more.
It was a dream come true for the Bollywood star as Kings XI Punjab smashed a their way into the final of the Indian Premier League on Friday night.
Sai Sudharsan upstaged some of the world's top batters as he topped the run scoring charts, while Prasidh Krishna was the most successful bowler of the season.
Captain Ravichandran Ashwin's superb all-round showing helped Kings XI Punjab outclass Rajasthan Royals by 12 runs, in the IPL match, in Mohali on Tuesda
India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League on Wednesday, bringing curtains down on a 16-year-long association with the tournament within months of calling it quits from international cricket.
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