Kings XI Punjab: Experience and Virender Sehwag the reasons behind Ishant Sharma's IPL lifeline

Kings XI Punjab have decided to sign Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma as the replacement for the injured Murali Vijay who is set to miss the whole 2017 IPL season. Vijay suffered a wrist and shoulder injury during the recently-concluded Test series against Australia and will require surgery on his right wrist.

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Despite Sharma boasting a lot of experience in the IPL, he is set to face tough competition to get into the starting 11 as Kings XI Punjab already possess a number of fast bowlers in their ranks. Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma, Varun Aaron, Anureet Singh, Matt Henry and T Natarajan are all set to fight for a place in the team this season.

Sharma said that Virender Sehwag played a big role in his selection and hopes that the experience he brings to the team after playing for India for so many years will help the other bowlers in the side.

"I got a call from Viru a couple of days asking me if I was available, and that's how things worked out. After playing for the country for so many years, I can share my experience with the other bowlers in the dressing room. It's all about how you handle yourself in different situations," Times of India quoted Sharma as saying.

Sharma had a disappointing IPL season last year as he got to play only four games in which he took three wickets at an economy rate of 9.86. He had started the 2016 season well, picking the wicket of Rohit Sharma in his very first ball but he could not get going after that.

As a result, the Rising Pune Supergiant decided to release him and after placing himself in the top bracket (Rs 2 crore) at the auction he failed to get any buyers. His best season in the IPL so far was in 2013 when he was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team where he played 16 matches and picked up 15 wickets.

Kings XI Punjab start their season against Sharma's former team, the Rising Pune Supergiant, on April 8 and he will be looking to get off to a good start and prove that they made a wrong decision in letting him go. Sharma played only five of the 13 Tests at home recently and will be relatively fresher for Punjab.

"As a fast bowler, I feel it's easier to go from a long format (Tests) to T20s. It all boils down to executing your plans and maintaining your fitness levels in T20s," he said.

Sehwag, the Kings XI's head of cricket operations, said his addition will certainly strengthen their squad.

"I share a strong bond with Ishant Sharma as he played under my captaincy in the Ranji Trophy and later in the India team. His addition will most definitely strengthen our squad," espncricinfo quoted Sehwag as saying.