Punjab's Chosen 5!

Kings XI Punjab are a neutral’s delight in the IPL - partly because of the bubbly Preity Zinta, but mainly because of their perennial status as the underdogs. This year however, they have a power house of a lineup. The team features the likes of Virender Sehwag, George Bailey, Shaun Marsh, David Miller, Cheteshwar Pujara, Glenn Maxwell, Thisara Perera and Mitchell Johnson along with promising youngsters like Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Gurkeerat Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Beuran Hendricks, Akshar Patel and Sandeep Sharma. Trust me; I tried to shorten the list the best I could – to that avail, note that 1st Choice wicketkeeper and frontline spinner are missing from this list.
However as Mumbai Indians have proven in the past, that having a big name line up isn’t the secret to success in the IPL. These big names need to form a dependable spine for most of the season. So here I am listing the 5 players that are expected to make a big impact for the Kings XI in the seventh installment of the IPL.
1. Virender Sehwag:  Powerhouse Indian batting legend. With still a couple of good years in him.  At 3.2 crores, he might prove to be a bargain. A T20 career strike rate of 151.46 after 122 innings is absolutely stunning. For a high stakes T20 tournament in India, there are few batsmen who would be more ideal. Has not been his usual self of late, but what better platform for him to make a statement and at Kings XI, he will be encouraged to play his game the way he wants. Will also be expected to step up as captain if Bailey fails and is replaced by a plethora of talented overseas players. Will also be expected to mentor young Manan Vohra.
2. Mitchell Johnson: After his performances in recent months, Mumbai Indians will be ruing their decision not to retain him. Expect him to come back from his minor injury roaring into form and back to striking fear into the hearts of opposition batsmen. He is probably the only untouchable overseas player in the Kings XI lineup. Given their treasure cove of talent this year, that is quite a statement.
3. Wriddhiman Saha: The oddball choice. There always is one in a list like this. However in T20 cricket, the importance of the wicketkeeper batsman can never be underestimated. He offers consistency behind the wickets – something that has often been admired by Indian Captain MS Dhoni. But his batting has often been questioned and the reason why he is behind Dinesh Karthik in the pecking order. At Kings XI he will finally be the undisputed no. 1 keeper and he might surprise everyone. He will, however need to get going quickly or else questions will be raised about his fee of 2.2 crores especially with the likes of Naman Ojha, Parthiv Patel and Manvinder Bisla going for much lesser.
4. George Bailey: Australian T20 captain. Explosive lower middle order Batsman. Opportunities are likely to be sparse, but with Miller and Maxwell or Perera he will be part of a formidable finishing squad when chasing and posting big scores. Leading Kings XI will be no mean task but the added incentive of hugging Preity Zinta after a win should be motivation enough to bring out his leadership skills and make a big impact.
5. Cheteshwar Pujara: Considered one of the best test batsmen, he is not considered suitable for T20. His career strike rate of 103 in T20s doesn’t support his case either. Luckily for him, that is exactly what will be expected of him in the Kings XI lineup. He will have to hold one end up, rotate strike and allow the likes of Sehwag, Bailey, Miller, Maxwell, Perera and Manan Vohra can play their big shots. It is a thankless role and will do nothing to silence his doubters but it is a role that will prove central to any success that Kings XI hope to achieve. 
Without a semblance of doubt though, Kings XI Punjab’s most important Impact player will be Preity Zinta! You want to question that, imagine yourself playing for Kings XI and picture Preity on the sidelines with her trademark dimpled smile and tell me you will not want to win the game!