KL Rahul the Kings XI Punjab’s skipper showcased his talent with the bat when he hammered an unbeaten 132 runs in 69 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore which his side defeated by 97 runs last week.
The right-handed batsman carried on in the same form in Kings XI Punjab’s next game against Rajasthan Royals as he went on to slam another half-century and stitched a 183-run opening partnership with Mayank Agarwal for the first wicket.
KL Rahul’s team lost the match despite Mayank Agarwal’s ton after a brilliant late flourish from RR batsman Rahul Tewatia, but no one can question the dedication and intensity that KXIP skipper brought on to the field.
In a recent chat on Amstrad InsideSport Face 2 Face Cricket Series, KXIP co-owner Ness Wadia said that Rahul is one of the most versatile players in Indian cricket.
KL Rahul Is Another Wonderful Player After Coach Anil Kumble From Karnataka: Ness Wadia
KL Rahul is the leading run-scorer and orange cap holder in IPL 2020 so far with 222 runs in only three matches.
“As far as Anil Kumble and KL Rahul are concerned it’s good that they’re from Karnataka, I think it’s very important. I think we’ve got a lot of wonderful players from Karnataka and across India and the world. I think we’ve got an exceedingly well-balanced team, with an exceedingly well-balanced director and coach in Anil Kumble, his experience, his respect, his wisdom just stands out,” Wadia said.
“He is a phenomenal bowler, phenomenal leader and a nice person. He is humble, simple, to the point and very professional,” Wadia further added.
For KL Rahul, Wadia said: “As one can recollect we went very strong for KL Rahul in the auctions. Show me a more versatile player in Indian cricket at the moment. He can open, he can go down to number four, and he can go down to number six. At every point of that chain of the 11, to add he is also a wicketkeeper.”
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer, coach, and commentator, who played Tests and ODIs for 18 years. A right-arm leg spin (leg break googly) bowler, he took 619 wickets in Test cricket and remains the third-highest wicket-taker of all time behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne-all of them being spinners.
Ness Wadia: KL Rahul Is A Captain In Making For India
Ness Wadia further stressed that KL Rahul is a captain in the making for India.
“He is a captain in the making, as he said recently “I have watched Virat, thinking like a captain.” And when you’re a wicket keeper you automatically think a lot, so it’s going to be amazing. Our role is just to encourage them and give them more confidence,” he signed off.
The fans of KXIP will pin their hopes on KL Rahul as KXIP looks to win their maiden title. KXIP have opted for a management shift and KL Rahul has been named as captain while Anil Kumble is the Head Coach.
He knows this side well as he was one of the revelations of IPL 2018 as he led the KXIP run charts with over 650 runs with six half-centuries that included a few innings in the 90s.
Together with Chris Gayle, KL Rahul formed a potent opening combination that took the attack to the opposition and he enjoyed the freedom given to him at the top of the batting order.
He had a superb 2019 season too, where he even got his maiden IPL ton, scored almost 600 runs and finished the season with an impressive average of 53.90.