Former India skipper Anil Kumble on Friday (October 11) got appointed as the head coach of IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for the upcoming edition. The legendary leg-spinner has been named the director of cricket operations as well.
KXIP have qualified for the play-offs only twice in 12 IPL seasons thus far. In the last edition, the Ashwin-led team finished in the sixth position despite being one of the most consistent sides in the first half.
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Whether he will be able to revive the team’s fortune or not is to be seen, but Kumble is looking forward to the new challenge.
“I think it is a great challenge and an opportunity for me to get involved in the IPL again. I have seen Kings XI Punjab from close quarters when I was involved with other franchises as a player and as a mentor. It will be nice to work with the owners and some of the players, and I am hoping to make a significant contribution with the team, so looking forward to the challenge,” Kumble quoted as saying kxip.in.
“The team has not won an IPL title as of yet, so that is our main goal. In terms of the biggest challenge, we have seen in the recent past that the start has been good for Kings XI but after a couple of losses, the momentum shifts. We have been close to qualifying but we miss out by small margins. So it's important to keep the momentum over 14 games and have a sustained performance for the team to make it to the last four, where it's anybody's game,” he added.
Kumble is the fifth coach of KXIP in five years and he will take over from New Zealand’s Mike Hesson. Meanwhile, former Australia captain George Bailey, who took the franchise to it's one and the only final in 2014, has been named as the batting coach. Former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi will be the assistant coach of the team.
Talking about the process of becoming Punjab’s coach, Kumble said: “Satish (Menon - KXIP CEO) approached me to ask me if I would be interested in taking up the role. The call put a thought in my mind and I deliberated over it for a couple of months before agreeing to take it up.”
Regarded as one of the finest cricket brains in India, Kumble also shared the strategies for KXIP going ahead.
“It is important to put together a proper structure and my role would be to get players ready for the challenge and make sure they are up for it. The support staff can help in terms of strategies, ensure players achieve success and that they are in the right space so to go there and play freely. That's important in a T20 competition because the IPL is such a format that every game is a close finish and that all the eight teams are closely matched.”
“There's not much difference between the sides, so it's just a matter of how well you can perform on a particular day. It is always a roller-coaster ride, it's not that easy, we have seen that over 12 years of the IPL. To achieve success, it is important to keep calm and back the players, who win you the competition at the end. The strategy-making will start later, as we approach the start of the season, because the players have international and domestic commitments right now and we need the whole group together for a definitive plan,” he explained.
Asked if he is looking to target any kind of player during the auction in December, Kumble said: “We will look at the balance of the team first, and identify areas where we need more reinforcements. There are some names we are discussing but a proper team plan will be put in place later.”
