Hashim Amla to make IPL debut soon

New Delhi: Kings XI Punjab have named South Africa batsman Hashim Amla as a replacement for Shaun Marsh, who was ruled out of IPL 2016 due to a back injury. According to espncricinfo.com, KXIP have obtained the required clearances for Amla's stint with the team and he is expected to join the side soon. Interestingly, Amla is yet to make his IPL debut. The batsman was part of the player list for the 2016 auction in February, with a base price of Rs 1 crore, but wasn’t picked by any franchise. Amla stepped down as South Africa's Test captain in January this year. Overall, Amla has played 88 T20s scoring 2,446 runs at an average of 31.35 and a strike rate of 125.95. Opening batsman for South Africa in the recent World T20, Amla scored two fifties collecting 120 runs in four matches in the tournament at a strike rate of 134.83. Marsh on Monday (May 2) ruled out of the IPL 2016. He picked up the back injury in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 19, and had been carrying a niggle since.