If Kings XI Punjab’s request is accepted, we may have the Preity Zinta co-owned franchise playing under a new name next Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
A BCCI official said the franchise has put in a request and Preity Zinta has pointed to the concept followed by many sports in the United States where teams in the NBA and Major League Baseball are allowed to change names when they shift base.
Kings XI Punjab have yet to taste success in the IPL. But this season they have assembled a strong team under the guidance of former India batsman Virender Sehwag.
With R Ashwin, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh and Mayank Agarwal in their line-up, they boast of a strong Indian core group. The six have the experience and confidence. In Ashwin, they have a solid captaincy option. Besides buying Aussie batsman Aaron Finch and Andrew Tye, in a late swoop, they picked up Chris Gayle as well.