Kings XI Punjab likely to name Murali Vijay as captain

Vijay was bought by the franchise ahead of the last season in 2015 and has played 17 games so far for Punjab. © Cricaction

Kings XI Punjab are likely to name M Vijay as their captain for the rest of the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, according to a report on New Indian Expresson Saturday (April 30).

David Miller, the current captain, has struggled with bat and as captain so far in the tournament. Punjab are currently at the bottom of the table with just one win from six games.

Vijay was bought by the franchise ahead of the last season in 2015 and has played 17 games so far for Punjab. This season, he has scored 143 runs in six games, while Miller has accumulated just 76 runs from six games so far.

"It was purely a management decision because we wanted Miller to play with freedom," a source said. "He is our best batsman and as everyone can see it, he is struggling to cope with the added responsibility. With the play-off place still up for grabs, we thought that it was the right time to change captains. Maybe that can infuse new enthusiasm and energy into the side.

"He (Vijay) is a Test regular and has seen great success. Moreover, as a senior player, he has always given valuable inputs. We believe that he will come in handy in this crucial time."

The trend to drop a foreign player isn't new in the tournament. Ricky Ponting, named as captain of Mumbai Indians, dropped himself and handed the reins of the side to Rohit Sharma. Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews too have faced the axe and were asked to hand over leadership duties to Indian players.

Punjab had a great run in the 2014 edition where, after 11 wins in the group stages, they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the final. However, they weren't able to replicate the same form in the 2015 edition and finished at the bottom of the table with just three wins from 14 games.