XtraTime Web Desk: Kings XI Punjab Head Coach Anil Kumble feels that KL Rahul will be a good leader in the forthcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Ravichandran Ashwin, who led the side in the last season will play for Delhi Capitals this season. After Ashwin’s departure, Rahul have been given the captain’s armband for the new season. With plenty of experience having played for India, Kumble feels Rahul brings to the table the qualities needed to shine as a skipper.
“KL is very relaxed, he is very mature, I have known him for a long time. He has the experience, international experience, having played this long and of course, the last couple of years he has been a part of the Kings XI and he has been their main player. He knows the team very well’ he knows the youngsters really well. He is very excited and he is very keen. He has his hands full by being a batsman, keeper and then the captain,” Kumble said in a video posted by KXIP on their Twitter handle.
Rahul has had a couple of brilliant seasons with the bat for KXIP. In 2018, Rahul hammered 659 runs from 14 matches at an average of 54.91 including six half-centuries, while last year, the batsman amassed 593 runs, averaging 53.90 with a century and six fifties. However, the team couldn’t quite replicate Rahul’s form and finished second from bottom in 2018 and sixth the year after.
That said, Kumble, who was appointed coach of the franchise in October last year, reckons this year, KXIP possess a good balance, which can help the team perform a lot better. “It feels really nice, it feels a bit strange to come on to the field like this and then have the entire squad, I mean not necessarily the entire squad but the set of players that are here. So it’s wonderful to be on the ground and have a hit, it’s nice to be outdoors,” Kumble said.
“We have high hopes from this season, we have a really good squad, a very balanced squad, some experienced and some youngsters. I am getting to know them now and seeing them play for the first time here, some of them in nets, so yeah just looking forward to build on the preparation and to be ready for the IPL.”