Led by the ‘Big Show’ Glenn Maxwell, the Kings XI Punjab will venture into the 10th season of the Indian premier League to try their best to win the cup this year. The KXIP have come mighty close to the holding the cup twice; the first season and the 8th season of the IPL. When the Preity Zinta bought the team, under the captainship of World Cup hero,  Yuvraj Singh started their campaign in the IPL season, 1, they ended up being semi-finalists. And since then, they seemed to have run out of form, luck, charm, whatever you may call it. That is until Glenn Maxwell hit God mode and took the IPL by storm in the IPL 7. And even then, the KXIP bowed down to Kolkata in the finals. But all that is in the past.

Full squad:

Existing Players: David Miller, Manan Vohra, Axar Patel, Glenn Maxwell, Gurkeerat Singh, Anureet Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Shaun Marsh, Wriddhiman Saha, M Vijay, Nikhil Naik, Mohit Sharma, Marcus Stoinis, KC Cariappa, Armaan Jaffer, Pardeep Sahu, Swapnil Singh, Hashim Amla.
Players Bought: Eoin Morgan (2 Cr), Rahul Tewatia (25 Lakhs), T Natarajan (3 Cr), Matt Henry (50 Lakhs), Varun Aaron (2.80 Cr), Martin Guptill (50 Lakh), Darren Sammy (30 Lakh), Rinku Singh (10 Lakh)

Key Players:

David Miller:

The south African Southpaw has come a long way since his bang bang days of cricket. He has been a permanent member of the SA national team and has shown the grit and determination the Proteas are known for. He can bat up the order, bat down the order, chasing 80 in 5 overs. He is acrobatic on the field and has a good head on his shoulders. In the 60 games he has played so far in the IPL, he has had an average of 36 and a strike rate of 144, making him one of the most deadly players in the pool. His partnership with Australian Glenn Maxwell could very well be the top highlights of this IPL

Glenn Maxwell:

The 28-year-old Australian is called the ‘Big Show’, an apt name for someone who plays the reverse sweep better than a forward defence. But Maxwell has just scored a test 100 against India on a rank turner and that shows his ability to adapt to any situation. Since making his mark in the IPL, Maxwell has been a vital part of the Australian setup and has been contributing beautifully to the team’s success in the last 2-3 years. In the 43 games, he has played so far, Maxwell has mostly batted up the order, scoring 918 runs with an average of 23 and a strike rate of 161.62. Add excellent fielding capabilities and part time off spin and we have a batsman tailor-made for T20 competitions.

Eoin Morgan:

The Irish Southpaw, also the Captain of the England national side is the newest buy for the KXIP and quite frankly Rs 2 crore for someone of his capabilities is simply a bargain. Morgan plays the perfect foil to Maxwell and will be expected to anchor the innings, at a brisk pace, making it easier for Miller to deliver the finishing blow. Again, Morgan is an excellent fielder and brings in a tonne of experience to a relatively young side.

Martin Guptill:

If Martin Guptill for Rs 50 lakh is not cheap that I don’t know what is. One of the only 4 batsmen in the history of the world to score a double century in One Day Internationals, Guptill should prove to be an apt opening partner for the sometimes slow Murali Vijay. Guptill is a strong man and even though his batting looks patchy when he is new to the crease, one must not forget, this was how he got that 200 in the World Cup. Guptill can strike it and strike it clean. And even though, his average might not be up to the mark, the Kiwi batsman, on his day can take bowlers apart.

Full list of matches:

Kings XI Punjab vs Rising Pune Supergiant, April 8, 2017, 16:00 IST

Kings XI Punjab vs RCB, April 10, 2017, 20:00 IST

KKR vs Kings XI Punjab, April 13, 2017, 20:00 IST

Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, April 15, 2017, 20:00 IST

SRH vs Kings XI Punjab, April 17, 2017, 20:00 IST

Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, April 20, 2017, 20:00 IST

Gujarat Lions vs Kings XI Punjab, April 23, 2017, 16:00 IST

Kings XI Punjab vs SRH, April 28, 2017, 20:00 IST

Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, April 30, 2017, 16:00 IST

RCB vs Kings XI Punjab, May 5, 2017, 20:00 IST

Kings XI Punjab vs Gujarat Lions, May 7, 2017, 20:00 IST

Kings XI Punjab vs KKR, May 9, 2017, 20:00 IST

Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, May 11, 2017, 20:00 IST

Rising Pune Supergiant vs Kings XI Punjab, May 14, 2017, 16:00 IST

1st Qualifier: May 16, 2017, 20:00 IST

Eliminator: May 17 2017, 20:00 IST

2nd Qualifier: May 19, 2017, 20:00 IST

Final: May 21 2017, 20:00 IST