David Miller has been relieved of his role as skipper of the Kings XI Punjab, with Murali Vijay stepping in for the rest of the season.

Miller has struggled with the bat in this campaign, scoring just 76 runs at an average of 15.20. As a captain, he’s won just once from six games as his side struggle at the bottom of the table.

‘Kings XI Punjab announces M Vijay as the Captain for Kings XI Punjab for the remaining part of the IPL 2016 tournament. David Miller continues to be an integral part of the team and is a very strong player of the squad,’ said the franchise in a statement.

‘It was purely a management decision because we wanted Miller to play with freedom,’ a source was quoted as saying in the New Indian Express. ‘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 to Rohit Sharma. Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews have also faced the axe in the past and were asked to hand over leadership duties to Indian players.

Picture: BCCI