Australian duo Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Marsh have been released by Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for the rest of the IPL 8 after they requested to return home for the preparation of Test series against West Indies and the Ashes.
A press statement issued by Kings XI Punjab said:
“Two of our players Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Johnson have been granted permission to return home at their request for preparation of the upcoming West Indies Tour. While both the players have been of great significance to the team and contributed immensely, we respect our players’ decisions. We have a fine line up in place and are hopeful of a good performance in the upcoming matches.”
KXIP, who ended up as the runners-up last year, have failed to impress this year, and are currently at the bottom of the points table with only two wins from 11 matches. Johnson was a big disappointment for them as he picked up just 9 wickets in as many matches and his economy was also on the higher side (9.37). On the other hand, Marsh was also not able to rediscover his stellar form from a year ago and scored just 81 runs at an average of 20.37, well below his standards.
Other Australian players Steven Smith, Shane Watson, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell will remain for the rest for the tournament. Smith and Watson will fly directly to West Indies if Rajasthan Royals (RR) makes it to the play offs of IPL 8.