Kings XI Punjab owner Ness Wadia seemed to be pretty happy while announcing Karnataka batsman KL Rahul as the captain of his franchise in the upcoming season.
Ravichandran Ashwin who was the captain of Punjab last season was traded by the franchise (to Delhi Capitals) last month. This unexpected move gave birth to many speculations regarding the team’s leadership and the management finally came up with a decision that was made public right after the first day of auctions ended (19th December).
“As the management, our main objective is to look at the options available and then decide on the best possible combination. K.L. has been with us for a few seasons now and he is not only a star batsman but also leads from the front,” Wadia said.
KL Rahul was signed by Kings XI Punjab in 2018 for a whopping Rs 11 crores, the joint third-highest bid then. He didn’t disappoint his coaches by scoring 659 runs that season at an average of 54.9 runs. The right-handed opener crossed the 90 run mark three times but ended up missing on a century before scoring his first in 2019 against the Mumbai Indians. KL Rahul was also named in the Cricinfo XI in both seasons.
“We had a discussion with Anil (Kumble, who is the head coach) and we agreed to name him the skipper. We are confident that he will achieve more success for the franchise,” Wadia added while talking of his belief in the newly appointed captain’s abilities.
So @klrahul11 will be our new skipper ??? I’m super excited, hope you guys are too ! #Saddasquad #SaddaPunjab #Saddacaptain #ting @lionsdenkxip pic.twitter.com/fswxGv1qhh
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) December 19, 2019
Mohali/Indore will welcome Glenn Maxwell and Sheldon Cottrell to the camp which will be tutored by Indian great Anil Kumble. While talking about the Carribean fast bowler Wadia said, “Cottrell has emerged as one of the top players and I am sure he will have an impact to the side. Before the auction, we had some plans, we could get some players, some we could not. But we are happy with the proceedings.” The management appointed Wasim Jaffer as the batting coach on Wednesday.
Kings XI Punjab will want to win their maiden IPL title this season with a squad full of stars.
