Kings XI Punjab have announced their list of retained players for the 2021 Dream11 Indian Premier League, with 16 cricketers making that cut. The list sees the bulk of their core team retained as last season’s captain KL Rahul, opening partner Mayank Agarwal and explosive Caribbean duo of Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran have all been retained.

On the bowling front, seasoned seamers Mohammed Shami and Chris Jordan, alongside spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin have also been retained. A few of India’s domestic talents like Prabhsimran Singh, Harpreet Brar, Ishan Porel and Darshan Nalkande will also be seen plying their trade for KXIP come the 2021 Dream11 Indian Premier League.

The team management have retained 13 Indian players for the 2021 IPL season, including the likes of Mandeep Singh and Sarfaraz Khan, both of whom will be playing their third season for the franchise this year. Only three foreign players have been retained by the franchise- Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Chris Jordan.

“The plan was to keep the core of the team, and make sure the players who were part of the team last season will continue this year as well. We believe that this group along with whoever we pick at the auctions to fill those gaps will be able to turn things around for Kings XI Punjab,” revealed Head Coach Anil Kumble.

The franchise’s leading run getter and wicket-taker from 2020 will feature for them once again, alongside the leg spin duo of Murugan Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi- both of whom proved to be very efficient for the team in the middle overs. Also, the likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Darshan Nalkande and Ishan Porel who have been performing admirably in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy have been rewarded with the confidence of the KXIP management ahead of the next IPL season.

The minimum squad size in the IPL needs to be 18 and a maximum of 25 with no more than eight overseas players. Kings XI Punjab currently have 16 players in their setup, with only three overseas players. The team management will now be expected to bring in more players when the auction is held in February, 2021.

Retained players: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Prabhsimran Singh, Mohammed Shami, Chris Jordan, Darshan Nalkande, Ravi Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Ishan Porel

Released players: Glenn Maxwell, Karun Nair, Hardus Viljoen, Jagadeesha Suchith, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Sheldon Cottrell, Jimmy Neesham, Krishnappa Gowtham, Tajinder Singh.