Kings XI Punjab head coach and mentor Anil Kumble have on Tuesday (September 1) stated that captain KL Rahul is the first-choice wicketkeeper for the franchise in the upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 starting on 19th September in the UAE.
The stylish right-hander, who has initially kept wickets for Karnataka in the domestic cricket, has now become India's first-choice white-ball wicketkeeper, thanks to his neat glovework and added benefit to be able to bat at any position.
Well, Rahul is set to do the same for the KXIP in the IPL 2020 – which will be his first season as captain and former Indian head coach Kumble has backed the star cricketer to do a good job behind the stumps in the UAE since the latter has been doing the same from 2018 season.
The Karnataka batsman, who has played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the past, has grown in ranks ever since making the switch to KXIP, smashing 659 runs at an average of 54.91 in IPL 2018 and 593 runs in 14 matches in IPL 2019.
Kumble told Sportstar: “I think K. L. will obviously take up keeping and then, we will take it from there.”
The KXIP mentor also feels Rahul will help him in decision-making since he has been with the team for the last three seasons while insisting the team has got “all the ingredients” to challenge other teams in the upcoming cash-rich tournament.
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He further added, “It was very important to choose the captain [for the season]. I have known K. L., seen him as a young kid growing up in Bengaluru, and as a cricketer. It’s his first season as skipper but he knows the team better than me. He has played here for two seasons. I think we have all the ingredients to build a solid team.”
On India speedster Mohammad Shami, Kumble said: “Shami is the experienced guy here. He has been brilliant over the last five or six days. He will be able to pass on his thoughts to the youngsters. I am looking at him not just for his skills, but also for his thoughts and information.”
Noteworthy, West Indies star Nicholas Pooran is the second keeper in the franchise's squad.
