Experts believe that Kings XI Punjab appears the strongest and most balanced team, on paper, in IPL 2020.
For Anil Kumble, KXIP director of cricket operations, the presence of West Indies left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell and hard-hitting Australian Glenn Maxwell could be the crucial factor, along with K.L. Rahul being at the helm.
Covering the bases
“The auction went well. The idea was to cover all bases and make sure you have enough to take care of any situation, any opposition, any surface. So I think, it [squad] has a blend of raw talent, experience and some wonderful young players who have performed at the highest level.
“We are happy that we were able to get Cottrell and (James) Neesham, who will be the all-rounder and has the experience of not just playing international cricket but also in India. We were also able to get (Glenn) Maxwell back because he’s done well for Kings XI in the past,” Kumble told The Hindu.
On the foreign players, Kumble said, “The four foreigners we have added will complement the others — Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Nicholas Pooran and, of course, the ‘Universe Boss’ (Chris Gayle).”
Kumble was pleased with the Indian contingent too. “We have picked those with experience who can play No. 5 or 6 and also bowl a bit. We have Deepak Hooda to play that role. In a T20 game, playing at No. 5 or 6 is never easy but he has the potential. We also have Mandeep (Singh) and Sarfaraz (Ahmed) along with Karun Nair.”
The bowling, insisted Kumble, looked healthy too. “Ishan Porel has shown a lot of promise in domestic cricket, has a mature head. We're expecting him to do really well. The other advantage is that he and Mohammed Shami play for the same team (Bengal) and that will help.
“Then we have Arshdeep Singh. We wanted a young all-rounder and that’s why we picked (Darshan) Nalkande. Ravi Bishnoi is a good wrist-spinner. We wanted to give a chance to (batsman) Prabhsimran Singh, wanted to promote local talent. Have heard some good things about him. So looking forward to working with all of them.
