After IPL 2018 Player Auction, Preity Zinta's Kings XI Punjab to have name changed?
Bengaluru: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) were one of the most active and busiest franchises during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 Player Auction on Saturday and Sunday. The Preity Zinta co-owned side bid aggressively for star players and had other teams not used Right to Match (RTM) cards, the IPL outfit could have ended up with one of the best squads.
However, it is now learnt that KXIP is considering a name-change for the team ahead of the eleventh edition of the cash-rich league. A BCCI official confirmed that the Punjab-outfit has opted for a name change and has sent a request to the national cricket body, it is reported.
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KXIP owners even hinted at the idea followed by many sports teams in the United States where they are allowed to change names if they shift base. The franchise is now considering a new home ground for the upcoming edition after receiving poor support at the IS Bindra-Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali.
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KXIP, which will be coached by former India batsman Virender Sehwag once again, have a promising season to look forward to after massively beefing up their squad. KXIP beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) to buy Ravichandran Ashwin for a whopping Rs 7.2 crore before shelling out Rs 11 crores to buy KL Rahul.
Karun Nair and Yuvraj Singh were also swooped in while RTM cards were used for the likes of David Miller, Marcus Stoinis and Mohit Sharma.
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Two key foreign recruits, Andrew Tye and Universe Boss Chris Gayle were also brought in on the final day.
Kings XI Punjab final squad: Akshar Patel, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Karun Nair, Mujeeb Zadran, Ankit Singh Rajpoot, David Miller, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Singh Sran, Yuvraj Singh, Christopher Gayle, Ben Dwarshuis, Akshdeep Nath, Manoj Tiwary, Mayank Agarwal, Manzoor Dar, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar
