Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul has heaped praise on the franchise’s Head Coach and Director of Cricket Operation Anil Kumble after his team registered a comfortable win against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday (September 24).

Anil Kumble has played for RCB from 2008-2010. After his retirement from IPL as a player, RCB appointed him as the chief mentor for the team. Kumble left that position in January 2013, moving to a similar role with the Mumbai Indians, which he quit in November 2015. He has now joined KXIP for the first time.

KL Rahul said that being a player himself, Anil Kumble understands them better. He believes that Kumble’s experience with different franchises helps him to better understand the players.

“Somebody like Anil Kumble comes in with so much experience. He has captained a franchise, he has been a part of teams and he has been involved with the league for so many years. He understands exactly what the team goes through and what the players go through during these two months of IPL. He has been through it himself,” Rahul said during a conversation on InsideSport’s ‘Amstrad Face 2 Face Cricket Series’.

Having Anil Kumble Around Makes Huge Difference: KL Rahul

As Rahul is captaining the franchise for the first time, he said that having Kumble’s back had surely helped him to back his ideas.

“He is now in a coaching job, it helps the team, and it helps a captain like me who is captaining the team for the first time to have his experience and someone like him to fall back on to bounce some ideas,” he added.

Belonging to the same state Karnataka, KL Rahul stated that Kumble had been supporting him from a young age. He added that having Kumble around makes a huge difference.

“Furthermore, we come from the same city and he has watched me grow, it’s a huge help. He has been someone who has supported me and supported all the players from Karnataka. Just to have him around makes a huge difference for youngsters and for the guys who have been playing for a while because there is so much to learn from him,” he added.

Punjab has so far played two matches in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and witnessed a defeat and win in the first and second matches respectively.