The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) will resume from September 19 with defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
With the UAE-leg of IPL 2021 getting underway tonight, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chief mentor David Hussey believes batsmen Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana can "shock the world" with their batting in the middle east.
“They both are quality players, they are determined to do very well for the team and for themselves and they have a taste of international cricket now. I think they are about to shock the world that they are the next generation of Indian players, not just for one or two series but for perhaps a decade, so if they get going look out for them in the IPL,” Hussey told ESPNcricinfo.
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The former Australia cricketer then went on to back the current KKR skipper Eoin Morgan to come good in the second phase of the tournament after a not-so-good first-leg in India earlier this year.
“As a captain, he is going to lead from the front. We need some big performances from him. His is probably the hardest position to play in the middle order. He comes in either in deep trouble or coming in with 3-4 balls to go when top orders have done really well,” the right-hand batsman said.
“He also has to lead on the field, get the fields correct, take wickets and also gamble a few times...Eoin will be a little disappointed with the last seven games, but knowing well that he is going to be prepared really well, I back him to be dominant in the next 7 games not only with the bat but captaincy as well,” he added.
As the Kolkata-based franchise is on the second to last spot on the points table with only 2 wins in 7 matches played, the KKR mentor feels his team can script an epic turnaround.
“All we have to do is win this ... We have done it before and so we can do it again... I feel we have the squad to do it also. You qualify for the finals and the whole competition starts again,” the Aussie said.
In IPL 2014, KKR won nine matches straight and also went on to claim the IPL trophy. Hence, the ex-cricketer lauded coach Brendon McCullum for his determination to prove his point.
“Brendon has been phenomenal, been very consistent, whether we are winning or losing. He has been a consistent person, this time there is a bit of determination in Brendon, he really wants to show that this squad can go a long way in the tournament,” Hussey concluded.
The two-time champions will be beginning the UAE-leg of IPL 2021 with a match against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on September 20 in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
(With PTI Inputs)
