Punjab Kings (PBKS) head coach Anil Kumble on Thursday (17th March) talked about his coaching philosophy. He said that he never wanted any player to restrain himself and has never taken a conservative approach in T20 cricket.
Former PBKS skipper KL Rahul, who will be captaining LSG in IPL 2022, might have scored truckloads of runs for the franchise but his conservative approach was one of the biggest talking points.
The wicketkeeper batter had a strike rate of 129.34 and 138.40 in the two seasons he captained PBKS. It’s fair to say that Rahul held his natural game to finish the games by himself as after a good start the franchise failed to finish off many games.
There were many talks about Anil Kumble interfering in Rahul’s batting approach and telling the right-hander to hold back his aggressive approach. The head coach has now subtly denied the allegations.
Speaking to Hindustan Times in an interview, Anil Kumble highlighted that he never wanted any player to restrain himself as the T20 format doesn’t demand a ‘conservative approach’. He remarked that his approach has never been to curb players from their natural instincts.
“No, I don’t think we ever wanted any player to restrain himself. In this format, I don’t think you can take a conservative approach. The natural ability of a Mayank or a Shikhar (Dhawan) is to attack. Even with the rest of the players, I don’t think there will be any approach to curb their natural instincts. That has never been my approach at all,” Anil Kumble said.
When asked if he feels more confident in the hunt for the title this time around, Kumble expressed his delight in having players, who naturally fits in the strategy that they put together.
"It’s a fresh start for all the 10 franchises. I think the brand of cricket we wanted to play; we have put together that sort of strategy. We are very happy to be able to get those kinds of players who naturally fit into that strategy rather than force somebody into playing that kind of a role,” he said.
Anil Kumble further said that they’ve invested in those players who will not only play a part in upcoming IPL but also in future.
"We looked at strategies to help us achieve the right result. Even when we picked the domestic players, we looked at the roles they could play and that clarity is very important in T20s. At the end, you don’t just put together a squad for this year. You invest in a few players who will perhaps be the future," he said.
The Punjab-based franchise acquired the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone and Rahul Chahar in the IPL 2022 auction. They recently also announced Mayank Agarwal as their skipper and will begin their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the DY Patil Stadium on March 27.
(HT inputs)
