Kings XI Punjab’s (KXIP) batsman Mayank Agarwal is excited to see his teammate KL Rahul leading the franchise for the first time in the IPL 2020 scheduled to begin from 19th September. He has also heaped praises on KXIP Director of Cricket Operations — Anil Kumble, saying that he has has been meticulous in his planning.
Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul share great chemistry on and off the field. They have played together since the U-19 days and now they are growing international stars for India. Having shared the cricket journey together from the very start, Agarwal is happy for Rahul’s first IPL season as captain of the KXIP.
“KL [Rahul] and I started together, played India Under-19 together, we’ve opened in Tests. We’ve been part of a World Cup team. This is his first time as captain, and I’m excited for him,” Mayank Agarwal was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
For the newly appointed coach Anil Kumble, Agarwal has highly spoken about him. He said that Kumble was crystal clear in his planning and had given the team member specific roles. Mayank added that the former Indian head coach’s guide has given every member a clear picture of where they need to improve.
“We’ve both played under Anil [Kumble] Bhai at RCB. As a coach, Anil bhai has been meticulous in his planning and has given us specific roles. When someone gives you the clarity to the extent he has, it gives you a clear picture of where you stand and what you should do to get to the next level,” Agarwal said.
Mayank Agarwal wants to win IPL 2020 for KXIP:
Mayank Agarwal has expressed his strong desire to be part of the IPL winning KXIP team. He is satisfied with his past performances but in the upcoming IPL, he is looking to give match-winning performances.
“I’ve been scoring runs at different levels, but the fact remains I haven’t had a breakthrough IPL season yet [in ten years now], so I’m looking forward to correcting that. Also, I’m looking forward to being part of a winning IPL team. I came close in 2017 [with Rising Pune Supergiant],” Agarwal added.
Talking about the KXIP squad, Agarwal said that it was a fun group because of the presence of expressive players like Chirs Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Glenn Maxwell.
“We’re a fun group of players at Kings XI. [Chris] Gayle, KL, [Nicholas] Pooran, [Glenn] Maxwell – all of them love to express themselves on the field,” Agarwal further said.
KXIP is the IPL franchise team that is still to lift the coveted trophy of the tournament. In the past editions, they have not been able to qualify even for playoffs though they had a massive start of the league.