Is there a spot for Gilchrist?

After Kumar Sangakkara, Daniel Vettori and Sourav Ganguly, it may be Adam Gilchrist's turn to sit out matches despite being the captain. Gilchrist suffered a hamstring injury during the home game against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 18 but since then, Kings XI have won five of their eight matches under David Hussey's leadership and are in with a shot at making the last four.

Gilchrist’s injury and Paul Valthaty’s lack of form forced Kings XI to open with Mandeep Singh and Nitin Saini against Mumbai Indians and the youngsters responded with a 48-run opening stand – Kings XI’s best at that point. Saini, who is also the wicketkeeper, and Shaun Marsh have since opened with Mandeep, who has settled well at the top to become Kings XI’s leading scorer.

The team's run has also coincided with Azhar Mahmood’s availability, with his all-round skills and experience making him essential to the team. Marsh and David Hussey have each scored more than 300 runs to be the automatic foreign-player choices. Ryan Harris adds much-needed pace to the attack. With the opening pair largely settled and the four overseas slots filled, the captain finds himself squeezed out.

Gilchrist, though, has read the writing on the wall. “Even if I am available for playing, it is not sure that I will play," he said. "The boys are doing a great job right now and the team is really getting along very well.”