IPL 2017: There’s Nothing Official I Heard, Says KKR CEO On Umesh Yadav’s Availability
Dec 23, 2018 at 10:58 AM
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore has denied to comment on the availability of fast-bowler Umesh Yadav for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.
The 29-year old Vidarbha pacer recently finished a grueling Test season with the Indian team, playing an integral role in the side’s prolific run of 10 wins in 13 matches. The right-arm pacer had sent down an incredible 355.5 overs in 12 games during the marathon season and reports are suggesting he has been advised to skip the first two weeks of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by the BCCI medical team.
However, Mysore said he is yet to receive any official word from the BCCI and hence denied to make any comment on the pacer’s availability.
“There’s nothing official I heard. I also read the reports. Until, I heard something official from BCCI, there’s nothing we cannot comment.”.
“If there’s any truth, a statement should come out soon. I also read a couple of days ago that there’s some ‘workload management’… But we are not aware of any such (BCCI) directive, it may be a figment of somebody’s imagination.”
“The good news with our team is all our bases are covered, in case of any eventuality. He’s a top player (Yadav), let’s wait and see what comes out officially. Then we can comment something concrete without being speculative,” he added.
Mysore further said that all of his team’s overseas recruits including the likes of Trent Boult, Chris Woakes, Nathan Coulter-Nile, coach Jacques Kallis were in transit and would join the team in 72 hours.
“There were some Visa issues as a new process wanted two letters — one from Ministry of sports and the other from BCCI. But it’s sorted now.”
When asked about Shakib Al Hasan, who is currently playing in the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, Mysore said:
“He is playing his last match on April 6 and would just be in time for the match.”
KKR will open their campaign against last year’s table-toppers Gujarat Lions on April 7.