Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have made exciting signings, but veterans would be very critical of whether this time a third Indian Premier League (IPL) title comes to the UAE, said lead mentor David Hussey.
“I am excited about all the signings. The foreign players haven’t arrived yet, but we’re excited to see Tom Banton perform live, he was phenomenal at the Big Bash. But I think it will be the crafty veterans of Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell who will be ultracritical. They control the culture of the group and I think they are going to do a lot to help the other children, the newcomers, the youth, ”Hussey said Sunday.
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Calling Banton the ‘X factor’ twice in a 12-minute session, Hussey said, “it’s a new or better version of Kevin Pietersen.” Banton, 21, is a goalkeeper hitter bought for Rs 1 crore at the players auction here last December. Playing for the Brisbane Heat in Australia’s Big Bash League last season, Banton had a strike rate of 176.98 — Russell’s attack rate last year was 182.12 — on his way to three half centuries in seven. games. Against Pakistan last month, Banton scored 71 (42b; 4×4; 6×5) and 46 (31b; 4×8) opening the innings for England in T20I.
KKR’s starting combination is up for discussion, Hussey said, not ruling out the possibility that Shubman Gill and even Russell will join Sunil Narine, who started the 2020 Caribbean Premier League with two half centuries, adding 140 runs at a strike rate. of 150.5, before missing games. to have kidney stones removed.
With Australia’s vice-captain Pat Cummins and England’s captain Eoin Morgan at the side, Karthik shouldn’t be lacking in contributions on the field. Hussey even once referred to Morgan as vice-captain and said the presence of a World Cup winning captain over 50 should benefit Karthik.
“A classy player will be a great ally for Karthik, perhaps fielding in the ring talking to the bowlers. He is also a calm and collected person who will come in handy in controlling things in between. We hope they have a good relationship, so I think he (Morgan) will do a lot to win a lot of games for Kolkata Knight Riders during a very close tournament, ”said Hussey, 43.
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Russell, Karthik and Morgan will be the anchors in the batting lineup, he said. “If Dre Russ hits 3 and hits 60 balls, he could actually double a hundred. He is a fantastic player, probably also the heart of the team ”.
In hot and windy conditions with the grueling terrains at the three venues in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, Hussey said spinners would play an important role, especially as “many foreign players don’t play spinners very well.” He did not agree that KKR was not well supplied in that department. “We have a full bowling attack,” he said.
KKR has Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti among the rhythm bowlers. Narine and Kuldeep Yadav are the front-line spinners with Varun Chakravarthy, a left-field back-up option bought for Rs 4 crore. Karthik can also rely on the Nitish Rana side effects that got AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli in successive installments in 2018.
Hussey said he could focus on the hitting side, but described his job as “the all-round role clarity person” who, primarily through one-on-one interactions, will try to get players to maximize potential by staying relaxed in the game. Pressure. situations. The boys are “chewing a bit” to go play, he said, adding that it is a privilege to be able to play in the time of Covid-19.
Hussey and head coach Brendon McCullum were part of the KKR from 2008 to 2010, when they were a struggling and troubled team, from the captaincy to the coach. “We hit it off right away. We didn’t know each other very well at that stage, but now we get along very well. We have disagreements about how we should play, but it is always fun, without emotion. It will be fun working with a guy who has a similar vision to mine. If anyone knows McCullum; play the game at 100 miles per hour and encourage players to keep going, “he said.
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