Kings XI Punjab have released India’s Test batting stalwart Cheteshwar Pujara, former Indian fast-bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji and former Indian spinner Murali Kartik from their squad for the upcoming IPL season of 2015. December 15th was the last date for the IPL franchises to send the list of the players they wanted to release.
The Kings XI trio featured in some of the matches last season, but all of them weren’t able to perform to the best of their ability. Pujara scored 125 runs in 6 matches at an average of 25, with a strike rate of 100.8. Balaji took 12 wickets in 9 matches with an economy rate of 8.79 and Murali Kartik, who took 6 wickets in the famous Mumbai Test win against Australia in 2004, took a solitary wicket in 2 matches at an economy rate of 11.9.
A Kings XI official gave the following reasons for their release:
“It is to do with Twenty20 and performance. Pujara is really a big name for Test cricket. He is a solid player. He does not fit with the current team’s composition in his role as a Twenty20 batsman. That is the same reason for the other two also.”
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