About Kings XI Punjab

Skipper Yuvraj Singh leads a team of skilled and thrilling cricketers yet again. The bowling has strength, the batting has the strike power, but there was something missing last season. It was the skill to deliver the knock-out punch. As a team, King’s XI Punjab would expect that they can improv their performance last season. They have the right ingredients this time, only now the stakes are much higher.

Captain-coach combination: Coach Tom Moody hopped over to Auckland to convene with his skipper Yuvraj Singh. The duos have gelled well as a combination. The much in require coach with the young aggressive man in charge make a fine pair. Moody can handle the team because nearly all are his former charges or former teammates. Yuvraj provides the sparkling leadership.

Goa acquisition: Ravi Bopara can be a helpful bits and pieces player. He was snared essentially because of his Sikh roots, but even now in South Africa can come in handy. A helpful medium-pacer and a striker to boot, Bopara can be an ideal player for South African circumstances. Okay, but do not rule out Jerome Taylor too to enjoy the circumstances in the absence of Brett Lee and Sreesanth.

Last year’s record: Semifinalist, Played: 14, Won: 10, Lost: 4

STRENGTHS: Yuvraj Singh and his T20 form in South Africa. The batting will rotate around him, Shaun Marsh, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara and England’s T20 star Ravi Bopara.

WEAKNESSES: The bowling. Sreesanth is out of the tournament. Brett Lee is coming back from injury and will not be available for the length of the tourney as he will playing in UAE. Jerome Taylor suffered a motor accident. Irfan Pathan, not at the peak of his bowling form, will have to lead the attack.

OPPORTUNITIES: For Sangakkara and Jayawardene, for whom the IPL will be the first major cricket assignment after the Lahore attacks, to show that terror hasn’t diminished their cricket skills. For Yuvraj Singh to show that he can lead the batting department and not hide behind the performances of Marsh and the Lankan duo.

THREATS: Shaun Marsh is coming back from a major injury and will be travelling to UAE for the Pak series. This means he misses the first two crucial weeks of the tourney. James Hopes won’t be there either. By not holding on to Luke Pomerscbach and Ramnaresh Sarwan, The Mohali outfit might just have booked themselves an early exit ticket.

Owners: Ness Wadia (businessman), Preity Zinta (Bollywood star), Mohit Burman (businessman), Karan Paul (businessman)

Coach: Tom Moody (AUS)

Captain: Yuvraj Singh (IND)

Players: B Lee (AUS), B Cockley (AUS), JHopes (AUS), K Sangakkara (SRI), L Pomersbach (AUS), M Jayawardene (SRI), Ravi Bopara (ENG), Shaun Marsh (AUS), Simon Katich (AUS), Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla