IPL 2020 | Anil Kumble does the planning, I carry it out, reveals KL Rahul

08/25/2020

KL Rahul has revealed that Anil Kumble has made his life very easy in leading Kings XI Punjab as he only has to carry out the plans made by Kumble. He has also cleared the air around the inclusion of Chris Gayle and stated that he will be part of the core group for the upcoming IPL 2020.

As an opener, KL Rahul has led Kings XI Punjab from the front and has been a key member in their batting line-up since his inclusion ahead of 2018 edition of the tournament. In the 2018 IPL, Rahul had smashed 659 runs at an average of 54.91. He continued his form in the 2019 edition and scored 593 runs in 14 matches. These numbers show the impact he has had on the Punjab-based franchise. However, for his captaincy, KL Rahul has an able hand in Kumble.

The Karnataka batsman, who recently arrived in Dubai for the IPL, revealed that he has a very good relation with Kings XI Punjab coach Anil Kumble, who has made his life easy by doing all the planning and he just has to follow it.

"Somebody like Anil bhai helps me immensely because I share a very good relationship off the field as we are from the same state and (he) has made (my) life as captain very easy," Rahul said in a video released by the Indian Premier League on their website as quoted by TimesofIndia.com

"I know he (Anil Kumble) will do most of the planning and I just have to go out in the middle and carry it out."

The Kings XI Punjab skipper also cleared the air on the inclusion of Chris Gayle in the team and stated that he will be a part of the core group of the side for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2020. Gayle has played 24 matches for the franchise in the IPL, managing to score 858 runs with his highest score being 104 not out in the 2018 edition.

"We at Kings XI Punjab have had a great experience with Chris and me luckily, I have played with him for years now, we have shared great friendship, we have had some partnerships in the middle, he is a great guy to have in the team," Rahul added.

"He will be a part of our core group, with the kind of experience he has, he will be somebody who will win matches for us."