The 25-year-old pacer Ankit Rajpoot is ready for the new IPL season. He is confident of Kings XI Punjab’s (KXIP) success in IPL 2019.
The right-arm pacer Ankit Rajpoot shined during the recent domestic T20 tournament (2018/19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy). At the end of the competition, the Uttar Pradesh pacer picked up 14 wickets in nine matches with an average of 14.85 and finished as the seventh most wicket-taker in the tournament (leading wicket-taker for Uttar Pradesh). He feels that it was his proper preparation before the IPL 2019.
He told TOI in a recent interview, “Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy was a kind of preparation for me ahead of the IPL. It was the best platform to get into the IPL groove. I want to carry on the same show in IPL too. I will go in with the same strategy.”
The right-arm pacer is ready to play with the Indian pacer Mohammed Shami in the upcoming IPL season. In the 2019 IPL Auction, KXIP bought Mohammed Shami for INR 4.8 crore.
Talking about playing with Mohammed Shami, Ankit Rajpoot said, “He (Shami is a great bowler and there is a lot to learn from him. I got the chance to spend time with him at the NCA (National Cricket Academy) and then on India’s tour of South Africa. It is going to be a good experience, sharing the ball with him in IPL 2019. I am ready to shoulder bowling responsibilities with Shami.”
Ankit Rajpoot about his IPL career
Ankit Rajpoot made his IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2013. He played only two matches in that season and picked up the only wicket.
Later, he made his IPL return in 2016 when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought him from the Players’ Auction. In two seasons (2016 & 2017), the right-arm pacer played a total of nine matches and took seven wickets.
During the 2018 IPL Players’ Auction, KXIP bought him for INR 3 crore. In the last year, he played eight matches and took 11 wickets with an average of 20.27. Talking about his present success, Ankit Rajpoot credited his two-year stint at KKR.
The pacer quoted, “I could play just 9 matches in two years at KKR but I learnt a lot there. At KXIP, I got a lot of matches to play. Whatever I learnt at KKR, I executed at KXIP.”
In his first IPL season, Ankit Rajpoot picked up only one wicket, and that too was Ricky Ponting‘s (Mumbai Indians) wicket. The right-arm pacer still feels proud for that wicket.
He said, “It was a big wicket. I still feel proud that I dismissed a big player like Ponting.”
Ankit Rajpoot’s IPL experiences under different captains
In his IPL career, Ankit Rajpoot has played under three different captains. While he made his IPL debut under MS Dhoni‘s (CSK) captaincy, he made his IPL comeback under Gautam Gambhir‘s (KKR) captaincy, and he is now playing under Ravichandran Ashwin‘s captaincy. He has praised all the three captains and feels that they can’t be compared.
He said, “The three are totally different captains and can’t be compared to anyone. Dhoni is the world’s coolest captain. Gauti bhai has an attacking-style of captaincy. Ashwin is a bowlers’ man. The best part is that bowlers get a lot of help from him. The three captains have different thinking but the execution is same. They are all amazing leaders.”
However, the bowlers’ man Ravichandran Ashwin’s leadership has impressed Ankit Rajpoot. He claimed that he got a lot of help from him.
The pacer said, “A captain who is a bower will always be there to sympathise with you when you are being sent to cleaners. Honestly, I got a lot of help from him. Ashwin bhai has played a lot of cricket and has a lot of experience. He understands the mentality of a bowler. If you request him for something (regarding field setting), he will understand you immediately.”
We have a more balanced side compared to last year
Ankit Rajpoot believes that the present KXIP side can end their trophy-less journey. The pacer feels that the new look side has a lot of match-winners.
He said, “We have a more balanced side compared to last year. First, we have a good captain in Ashwin. We have players like Nicolas Pooran, Mohammed Shami, Andre Tye, Arshdeep Singh, Moises Henriques and Mandeep Singh who are all match-winners. We have many options in the team. I am confident that KXIP will win the title this year.”
The IPL 2019 will begin on 23rd March. Meanwhile, KXIP will start their IPL 2019 journey on 25th March when they will meet against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Jaipur.