Plan was to keep the core team: KXIP head coach Kumble

Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble on Wednesday said that they are building a solid side for the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) while keeping the core group of players intact.

KXIP retained 16 members of their IPL 2020 squad and the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Sheldon Cottrell have been released from the squad. "After yesterday's historic Test victory in Australia, we are all excited about the result, having said that it is also that time of the year where IPL preparations kick-start for the new season 2021 IPL. So today, we have retained 16 players out of the 25-member squad that we had last season. So, the plan is to fill those gaps in the coming auction so that we will be a solid team going into the 2021 IPL," Kumble said in a video posted by the KXIP's official Twitter handle.

"The plan was to keep the core team and make sure that players who are part of the last season continue into this season as well. We believe that this group along with whoever we will pick in the auction will be able to turn things around for the side. It is important for us to look to keep the squad similar and hope for a better performance in the coming season," he added.

KXIP had finished the IPL 2020 season at the sixth spot under the leadership of KL Rahul. Punjab is yet to win the IPL title and the side has made it to the finals in 2014. But they suffered a loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

KXIP's retained players: Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, KL Rahul, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Chris Jordon, Darshan Nalkande, Harpeet Brar, Ishan Porel, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin.

Released players: Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Jimmy Neesham, Hardus Viljoin, K Gowtham, Karun Nair, Jagadeesha Suchith, Tejinder Singh.