Meet The Kings XI Punjab team for VIVO IPL 2020

KINGS XI PUNJAB SQUAD - INDIAN PLAYERS

Ravichandran Ashwin

Some eyebrows were raised when Chennai Super Kings chose not to retain Ashwin in their squad for the 2018 season but their loss is definitely the Kings XI gain. A proven, international-class bowler, who has tried to introduce even more variation in his game during his time off from international cricket this season. No surprise that he's still the skipper.

Karun Nair

Many will remember him as the one who made a magnificent triple century in only his 3rd Test match, but he has been a consistent run scorer in domestic cricket for a few years now. Coming off a fantastic Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy, he will look to bolster a strong-looking KXIP top order.

Mayank Agarwal

He's been scoring runs for fun this season. Not only is he the top scorer in the Ranji season with 1160 runs at an average of 105.45, he also has 723 runs at an incredible 90.37 in the Vijay Hazare trophy, giving him a record-breaking 2000+ runs in a first class season... and he’s not done yet. Talks of an international call-up have been growing, and the new IPL season will be the perfect platform for him to grow them even more.

KL Rahul

KL Rahul is a polished, highly-rated opening batsman who has been delivering on domestic and international fronts the past few years. A part time wicket keeper as well. Moving to KXIP from RCB this season, he will most likely be handed the responsibility of scoring runs with Aaron Finch at the top of the order. One of Indian cricket’s most promising prospects, he surely has a big season ahead of him.

Ankit Rajpoot

Ankit Rajpoot is a right arm medium-fast bowler who has the distinction of dismissing Ricky Ponting in his very first IPL over. One of the more impressive players from the uncapped list, he will look to make his mark whenever he gets a chance.

Varun Chakravarthy

The most exciting addition to the IPL family this season, our very own ‘Gully Boy’ is set to dominate the arena with his bowling. An architect by profession, this mystery spinner has eight different ways to leave the batsman dumbfounded.

Mohammed Shami

A right-arm fast medium bowler, Mohammed Shami is often regarded as India’s second innings specialist. Witness him set the stage on fire as he propels himself to new heights in the league of fast bowling.

Sarfaraz Khan

An early bloomer who has represented India in two U-19 World Cups till date. This right-handed aggressive 360- degree batsman is often thought of the next KL Rahul.

Arshdeep Singh

This Pikachu loving left-arm fast medium bowler will be making his debut this season. Though he doesn’t possess much experience in the domestic circuit, his undisputed determination is something to watch out for.

Darshan Nalkande

The Oswald loving right-arm fast medium bowler will be making his debut too along with some of his team mates. This Vidarbha bred cricketer has also amazed crowds with his performance in the Ranji Trophy last year.

Prabhsimran Singh

A young, smart and seeming to be philosophical is a latest addition to the team. Took up wicketkeeping due to two reasons — MS Dhoni and Adam Gilchrist.

Agnivesh Ayachi

His name translates to controller of fire and rightly so - he has a fiery performance! Swinging deliveries at stumps, watch this debutant right-arm medium bowler live in action.

Harpreet Brar

An all-rounder hailing from Punjab, he has featured in Punjab U-16s, U-19s and U-22s. After almost 7 years of determination, his zeal is bearing fruit as he enters the IPL arena for the first time.

Murugan Ashwin

He shares more than just his first name with the captain. After sharing the same college, they both went on to play in Tamil Nadu Premier League. His rise was accelerated after realising the importance of wrist spinners.

KINGS XI PUNJAB SQUAD - INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS

David Miller (South Africa)

David Miller is a hard hitting middle order batsman from South Africa. A one team man in the IPL, this will be his 8th consecutive season with KXIP, whom he also captained for the first half of the 2016 season. With over 100 ODIs and 50 T20is under his belt, he brings a wealth of experience along with being an outstanding fielder and vital close of innings player.

Chris Gayle (West Indies)

One of the biggest hitters and most entertaining personalities in world cricket, the left handed West Indian Chris Gayle was snapped up by KXIP for a mere 2cr. He may not be first-choice opener in this squad but every team will be wary of him whenever he does get his chance. Synonymous with RCB over the past 7 seasons, he will now look to help another franchise prosper and hopefully win their first IPL trophy.

Andrew Tye (Australia)

Right arm medium pacer Andrew Tye has relied on guile, variations and pin point yorkers to establish himself as a phenomenal white ball cricket player. He has enjoyed success in the Big Bash league and got callups to the Australian ODI and T20 squads to great effect. KXIP will be excited to have someone with his pedigree in the death overs.

Mujeeb Zadran (Afghanistan)

Mujeeb Zadran is an Afghani wonder kid who bowls orthodox off spin, but mixes it up with leg spin and unplayable googlies. He was the man of the match in his first ever ODI and became the youngest bowler ever to take a 5 wicket ODI haul. He also starred as Afghanistan won the u19 Asia Cup in 2017 and took them to the u19 World Cup semi finals. The most astonishing part? He will be 17 years and 10 days old when the IPL season begins.

Marcus Stoinis (Australia)

Stoinis is a prolific run scorer in Australian Sheffield Shield cricket. He made news when in his 2nd ODI innings, he smashed 146*. He received a Test call up in 2017, showing his adaptability in all 3 formats. In his 3rd season with KXIP he will look to use his big hitting and useful right arm medium bowling to become an important all-rounder for the side.

Moises Henriques (Australia)

The Portuguese born all rounder entered the IPL arena back in 2009. Since then he has played in 57 matches gaining 969 runs. Plus, with his right-arm fast medium bowling, he has amassed over 38 wickets since he joined IPL. Watch out for his right-handed batting skills as he graces the pitch with his presence.

Nicholas Pooran (Windes)

A super talented keeper-batsman has a promising skill set to dazzle the IPL arena. An ardent fan of MS Dhoni, he has appeared in 6 T20 internationals and scored 105 runs at an average of 26.25. An exciting addition to the squad, watch out for his amazing deliveries.

Hardus Viljoen (South Africa)

An all-rounder IPL debutant who happens to be a one-Test wonder. He earned the limelight after showcasing a decisive performance in the T10 League 2018. Watch this ‘Kolpak’ cricketer create ripples this season.

Sam Curran (England)

Another debutant who happens to be an all rounder produced by the English. He has cricket in his DNA since he’s the younger brother of England pace bowler, Tom. His father is former Zimbabwe cricketer, Kevin Curran. Catch this left-handed batsman live in action as he creates a name for himself.

KINGS XI PUNJAB SQUAD - COACHING & SUPPORT STAFF

Head coach - Mike Hesson

A seasoned coach who has been involved with teams ranging from New Zealand, Argentina and Kenya. Although he has resigned as the coach for NZ, he’s by far the most successful coaches in NZ’s history.

Batting coach – Sridharan Sriram

A former left-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spin bowler, he retired from ODI form back in 2004. With 15 T20 matches to his name, and a career spanning from the 90’s, he’s set to spark the team this season.

Bowling coach – Ryan Harris

Part of the IPL almost since inception, he’s a known name in the arena. Having a career filled with injuries, he never stopped showcasing his A game on the field before retiring in 2015.

Fielding coach - Craig McMillan

A former NZ international cricketer who was present in all forms of cricket. Often termed as the ‘Gladiator’ due to his resemblance to actor Russell Crowe. He has over 197 ODIs under his belt with 4,707 runs.

Team Analyst - Ashish Tuli

Ashish Tuli is a video analyst for over 10 years. He started working with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, long before video analysis was considered important in Indian cricket, before being involved with the NCA and BCCI as well. He also worked with the India women’s u19 and senior sides and men’s national side as well. This season he’s working closely with the team as a team analyst.

High performance coach – Prasanna Raman

Handling a debut position in the team, he’ll be taking the team to new heights with his skill set.

Physiotherapist – Brett Harrop

He is the man in charge of dealing with pain and keeping the KXIP squad fit. He was appointed into the all-Indian support staff at KXIP recently.

Strength And Conditioning Coach - Nishant Thakur

He is the one who looks after the team’s fitness and physical performance to ensure they maintain their competitiveness.

Naresh Kumar - Masseur

Naresh Kumar was appointed the Masseur of the Kings XI Punjab side ahead of the 2017 season. He will continue in his role this season as well

Varoon Parmar - Team Manager

Major Varoon Parmar has been the team manager for the Kings XI Punjab for a number of seasons. He is in charge of interaction with all media and coordination with all agencies for the VIVO IPL 2018 season.

Vikram Hastir - Asst Team Manager

Vikram Hastir is the Assistant Team Manager of the Kings XI Punjab. He has also served as logistics manager of the Delhi Ranji team in the past.