JUST IN: Kings XI Punjab to change the franchise’s name

Kings XI Punjab had a fruitful IPL mega auction, recruiting some of the most explosive batsmen in the world in Finch,Gayle, Yuvi, Miller and Stoinis, and also securing the services of some of the best bowlers that were up for sale at the auction(Sran, Tye and Ashwin).

On paper, this KXIP side seems really well balanced, with a good opening combination(Rahul and Finch), great middle order batsmen(Yuvi, Miller, Stoinis) and a very varied bowling attack(Ashwin, Axar, Sran and Tye).

The KXIP franchise though hasn’t had a very successful decade in the IPL, reaching the finals just once, and having played in the playoffs(last 4) just twice.

Preity Zinta and KXIP would be hoping for a change in fortune after the mega auction, but won’t be relying on just their players for that. According to reports, Preity Zinta is looking for a change in the franchise name, hoping to start afresh this season.

The franchise will be playing just 4 games in Mohali this season, with Indore being their adopted home for the rest of their home games. This is not the first time that KXIP will be leaving their home abode for a foreign, adopted home, having played a few of their home games at Dharamshala in the earlier seasons.

Now, with the franchise changing base this season(for a large part of their home games), KXIP are looking for a change in name, a concept that is quite popular in the United States of America.

Preity Zinta has requested the IPL authorities to look into KXIP’s plea, according to a source quoted in the Hindustan Times.

Rising Pune Supergiants also went in for a name change last year, after they dropped the ‘s’ from the franchise name, making it the Rising Pune Supergiant. And the name change worked big time for them, uplifting them from the 7th spot to the 2nd spot.

Zinta would be hoping for a similar fate for KXIP, but from the looks of it she would be going for a major overhaul of the franchise’s name, and not just the removal of a single letter(she had done something similar with her T20 Global league franchise’s name, changing it from Stellenbosch Monarchs to Stellenbosch Kings).