New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson has completed his quarantine period after travelling to the UAE from home. He will now be joining his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) teammates for practice sessions.

He had a candid chat on the KKR show 'Knights Unplugged' where he revealed how it was tough not being a KKR fan in New Zealand after watching their superstar Brendon McCullum light up the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a blitzkrieg in the opening game in 2008.

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Ferguson told kkr.in, "We used to watch IPL as young chaps. Brendon (McCullum) was definitely one of our heroes while growing up. After watching him do so well in the first match for KKR, it was hard not to be a Kolkata fan."

The 29-year-old is excited to practice with his mates ahead of the IPL. He also shared how he was welcomed into the KKR family before IPL 2019 and revealed that he has made some good friends in the team.

He said, "I am super excited. KKR is a team that took me in with open arms and made me feel as a part of the family almost immediately when I got there last year. I made some real good friends there in the team which continue beyond the game as well."

The Knight Riders finished missed the playoffs spot in IPL 2019 because of an inferior Net Run-Rate to the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Ferguson is hoping to better the performance this year with such a strong squad.

"The team we have (for this season) is looking super strong. Last year, we ended up sort of mid-table, so hopefully, this year we will get a chance to improve on that performance," he said.

(With inputs from kkr.in)