R Ashwin to be released from team, KXIP search for new captain: Reports

Mumbai: Ravichandran Ashwin was picked up by the Indian Premier League side Kings XI Punjab in 2018. He was picked up for INR 7.8 crores and has been leading the side since the last two years without any success. The Punjab side finished 7th in 2018 and 6th in 2019.

Due to this, KXIP are considering sacking Ashwin as their captain and will go as far as to remove him from their squads, according to reports. Ashwin has played 28 matches for the franchise and has taken 25 wickets in two seasons.

According to a report by Mirror, KXIP are considering trading Ashwin with Delhi Capitals or Rajasthan Royals. The officials will most likely meet towards the end of this week and make a decision.

The Delhi Capitals, under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, qualified for the IPL play-offs for the first in seven years. This automatically guaranteed Iyer a place as the captain. Even the Rajasthan Royals had a tough choice between Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith for captaincy last season. So, retaining captaincy in some other team would also be tough for him.

So, who will captain KXIP in IPL 2020?

According to the report, KXIP have thought of handing the reins of captaincy to KL Rahul. This decision seems sensible enough as he has played 67 matches in IPL and also has experience playing with the Indian team in recent times.

KXIP are also on the lookout for a new head coach after the exit of Mike Hesson. Reports state that they are in talks with George Bailey and Darren Lehmann to fill up the vacant position.