Every IPL Team plays it’s opponent twice in the competition, once at home ground and once away. Each Team tries its best to make the maximum use of home conditions and strategies accordingly. Winning most home matches and trying best for a few away wins have been a standard strategy in the IPL. In this series, we look at each team and its relationship with its home venue and its likely strategy this year.
One of the most flamboyant teams in the IPL, Kings XI Punjab have never won the IPL so far. This year in the auction, they once again went for the fresh setup as they had only Axar Patel in the squad retained. Now with Ravichandran Ashwin at the helm, the Kings XI Punjab will be looking to go the distance this year. A problem, however, remains with their home venue allotment.
The primary home ground of Kings XI Punjab is PCA Stadium, Mohali. The iconic ground established in 1993 has since hosted 13 Tests, 23 ODIs and 4 T20Is. It has the distinction of hosting two World-Cup semi-finals – one being the 1996 World Cup Semi-final between Australia and West Indies, the other was the most high-profile match played in India, the 2011 World Cup Indo-Pak Semi-final.
Kings XI Punjab over the years has played at various venues as their designated home ground. Dharamsala, Barabati Stadium of Cuttack and Holkar Stadium of Indore have been their home venues for the past few years. This year also due to some logistical reason, Punjab will play four home matches at Indore and only three at Mohali.
KXIP Record at the Home Venue (All Seasons)
| Year | Played | Win | Loss | Win % |
| 2008 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 86 |
| 2010 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14 |
| 2011 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 71 |
| 2012 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 38 |
| 2013 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 63 |
| 2014 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60 |
| 2015 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14 |
| 2016 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 29 |
| 2017 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 57 |
In the maiden IPL season, riding on the success of the orange cap winner Shaun Marsh, Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara and Brett Lee, the Punjabi team achieved great success, home and away. Its home winning percentage of 86 remains the highest for them so far.
Also Read: IPL 2018: Kings XI Punjab To Miss A Brilliant Wicket keeper This Year
In the seasons 2010 and 2016, they won only one match at home, losing six. The terrible performances in these seasons led to the team taking a different identity and again losing in the process. In 2017, they managed a balance of 4-3 at the home.
Pitch Conditions:
Playing majority of the matches at Indore, the Kings XI think tank will have to put more emphasis on these matches rather than those played in Mohali. The Holkar stadium at Indore is much smaller as compared to other grounds in India and is conducive to high scores. The pitch is typical Indian pitch that slows down as the game proceeds.
Also Read: IPL 2018 Preview: Kings XI Punjab – The Spin is King
Mohali on the other hand, in the northern region of India, is faster than the Indore track and will be helpful for the pace bowlers more than spinners. With two contrasting home venues, “Horses for Courses” should be the mantra for KXIP team.
For IPL 2018:
The spin duo of Captain R.Ashwin and Axar Patel will have to be careful as to not to be hit out of the Indore ground. They will have to utilize their utmost skills to power Punjab to their maiden title. Punjab’s Indian pace department is weaker as compared to their foreign quota. Andrew Tye’s performance will play a crucial role too.
The Indian batting of Punjab is strong and it should be able to adapt well to both the pitches. A great season for Ashwin and Tye will take Punajb to flying new heights.
