David Willey could be the solution to the bowling woes of the Kings XI Punjab

What’s the story?

England’s limited overs bowling spearhead David Willey could be heading to the Kings XI Punjab outfit for this season’s Indian Premier League. Having played in the Big Bash League this season for the winners Perth Scorchers, he would be a great addition to the Kings XI side as they are in serious need of a quality pacer on their side.

“The IPL will be great, but it is up to the ECB to allow English cricketers to play in other competitions around the world. It would be fantastic for the individuals,” said Willey.

"The experience you can gain from playing these big competitions not only helps you but also the team as you learn a lot from playing along the best players in the world," he continued.

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In case you didn’t know...

After making his debut just last year, Willey has played in 12 T20 internationals for the England cricket team and has taken 18 wickets at an average of 18.05, a strike rate of 13.1. and an economy rate of 8.26. He has had a good run in the ODIs as well where he has bagged 32 wickets in 25 matches at an average of 32.75.

He played an integral role in the Scorcher’s success in the BBL this year as he grabbed 7 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 13.71 and a brilliant economy rate of 6.40.

The heart of the matter

After reaching the final back in 2014, the Kings XI Punjab have not had a good run in the past couple of seasons as they finished at the bottom of the league in 2015 and 2016. One of the main problem areas for their squad has been in their bowling department as they were seen giving away a lot of runs towards the end of the innings and not been able to take wickets at regular intervals.

What’s next?

The IPL auction is set to take place on 20^th February 2017 in Bangalore and there are a host of English players who are set to take the auction by storm. Along with Willey, we will also see other first-timers such as Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes, who are predicted to grab big bucks in the auction.

Sportskeeda’s take

The Kings XI must be ruing the fact that they let go off in-form Mitchell Johnson just before he produced a couple of magical spells in the BBL, but will be looking to get hold of Willey when the auction takes place in Bangalore. With his exceptional performances in T20s for England over the past two years, Willey has become one of the world’s best bowlers in the shortest format of the game and Preity Zinta’s side should be willing to shell out a high price to bag this 26-year-old and hope for him to resolve their bowling woes.

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