After Dismal Start To IPL 9, KXIP May Replace David Miller With Murali Vijay As Skipper

It may not come as a surprise for too many who have followed the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year but David Miller could still be unhappy. The captain of the Kings XI Punjab, one of the match-winners of the team, may have to make way for another player, most likely an Indian. His performance has been too pedestrian not to merit an axe.

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The buzz in the IPL circle is that the South African, a specialist with white ball cricket, is likely to be replaced by Murali Vijay. A formal announcement has not yet been made by the team management or the franchise management but it could happen soon.

The 26-year-old left-hander has managed only 76 runs in six games of the season so far but worse is that his side has lost five of those games. It is not easy to survive in the franchise cricket, with such an abysmal record. Particularly as a captain.

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A change of captain midway through the season is not new to the IPL. From Adam Gilchrist (2009, KXIP) to Ricky Ponting (2013, MI) to Daniel Vettori (2012, RCB) to Kumar Sangakkara (2012, SRH) to Angelo Mathews (2013, Sahara), all have had to go through such ignominy.

Overseas Player And Captain Not An Easy Task

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For a foreign player, it has always been difficult to maintain the place in the XI because of the four foreign player rule of the league. Unless one is an extraordinary talent like AB de Villiers or a supremely inspiring leader like Shane Warne, it would be difficult for a foreign player to retain the position in the XI for all the games.

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Considered a Test specialist, Vijay was initially thought of as the captain but the franchise preferred Miller. Now the job is likely to go to the India Test opener, who has had a decent season. Besides, his position is assured in the XI. His first match as captain could be an away game against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot on May 1.

The last such change had happened in the Sunrisers Hyderabad team in 2013 in an inverted order. On that occasion, an Indian captain (Shikhar Dhawan) was replaced by a foreign player (Darren Sammy). It is a different matter though that Sammy could not retain his place for the next season.

Sammy has not found a team in this year's IPL but it is likely that the captain of the World Twenty20 champion side will be back in India soon as a commentator. The West Indian, who raised hackles of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) members, is understood to have signed up with IPL broadcasters Sony for the second half of the tournament.