India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was officially named as captain of the new Indian Premier League franchise from Ahmedabad. The star cricketer has been roped in for Rs 15 crore by the new franchise on Friday, January 21.
Besides Hardik Pandya, the Ahmedabad-based franchise has also picked Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan for Rs 15 crore and India’s young and talented opener Shubman Gill for INR 8 crores. The Ahmedabad team will head into the IPL 2022 mega auction, scheduled for February 13 and 14, with a purse value of INR 52 crore.
Meanwhile, former India coach and Ahmedabad franchise team mentor Gary Kirsten has hailed the newly-appointed captain of the Ahmedabad franchise. Gary feels Hardik is keen to showcase his leadership skills on the big stage. He believes that having a young and new captain will do well for the side.
Speaking on Star Sports’ IPL: Selection Day, Gary Kristen said: “I am looking forward to working with Hardik as a young and new captain. I think he will be really motivated to come in and make a plan and show what he is capable of at this level of the game as a leader,”
He added:
“He’s a great player. What I have heard is that he is really keen to get into the mix and get involved. I think he understands the importance of this tournament. He is raring to go and get into the mix from a leadership perspective”
“So, I think that’s really exciting for us to have a player with such a level of skill, motivated to do well in this competition,”
Gary Kristen, who will also serve as the team’s batting coach also expressed his excitement about having Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill on the team. He said:
“I am really excited by both of them. They are both high performers,”
He further heaped praises on Shubman Gill, who he feels has great “flair and instinct.” Talking about Gill, he said :
“Gill is a fantastic player, who, in my view, should be playing for India. He is on the verge of that and has played already. With great flair and instinct for the game, he could be a match-winner on his own,” “From a batting perspective, I am looking forward to working with him and helping him give the best out of an IPL season.”
Talking about Rashid Khan, Gary hailed him as a very competitive player. He said: “Rashid Khan has gone around the world, proven his value anywhere, so that’s an incredible signing for us. I am very excited to work with him I haven’t yet but I have seen him a lot, have met him few times.”
“I am looking forward to that. Certainly, watching him on the field, he’s a very competitive, young man that wants to do well for the franchise that he’s been involved in,”
