IPL 2020 | Would play Mujeeb instead of struggling Glenn Maxwell, opines Tom Moody
Moody wants KXIP to swap Glenn Maxwell with Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
|IPL
Ahead of Kings XI Punjabâs crucial encounter against SRH, Tom Moody has opined that he would want the franchise to play Mujeeb-ur-Rahman instead of the struggling Glenn Maxwell. Moody also expressed that KL Rahul should continue to bat his own way and not force himself till death overs.
KL Rahulâs Kings XI Punjab find themselves grasping for breath at the bottom of the IPL table, with just one win in their five games this season. After the stunning win against Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier in the season, the Punjab-based side hasn't quite lived up to their expectations with the ball, with left-arm seamer Sheldon Cottrell highly inconsistent. Coupled with the fact that their middle-order has been underperforming it has caused a domino effect with Punjab at the bottom of the table.Â
Ahead of their clash against SRH, the management would certainly be looking at making a few changes. The inclusion of Chris Jordan into the setup did not work quite well for them, which certainly cost them the game against CSK. Former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody opined that the franchise should be looking to make way for Mujeeb-ur-Rahman in the playing XI instead of the struggling Glenn Maxwell.Â
âI would definitely consider Mujeeb. A player of his calibre and capability is important to any bowling attack, especially in a bowling attack which is suffering like Kings XI Punjab. I would be looking to use him for Glenn Maxwell and would be looking to play another Indian batsman in the top six,â said Tom Moody in the ESPNCricinfo preview.Â
âYa I think so, they should be looking to play their best five bowlers. With Sarfraz playing as the sixth batsman, they should be looking to pick Mujeeb, who would pick them the wickets. On top of that, Chris Jordan certainly doesnât look like heâs going to give them four overs. So I think he should play instead of Jordan, with four overs a certainty,â added Ajit Agarkar.Â
Another tingling issue for the KXIPâs batting unit is the indifferent batting approach from their skipper KL Rahul. Following his 69-ball 132 against RCB, Rahulâs scores against Rajasthan and Chennai were a 54-ball 69 and 52-ball 63 which was awfully slow. Moody at the same time, also criticised the Punjab management for juggling the middle-order in what he called a 'musical-chair,' and added that Nicholas Pooran must stick at No.3.Â
âI would look at it the other way, do we consider that the other teams have bowled well against him. Another issue might be our expectations which has become sky-high after his innings against RCB. I think he should continue to back himself and his gameplan. There might be days when heâs striking it at a 120 and the other days when he is scoring at a pace of 180-200, thatâs the nature of the game. What is more important is that he is scoring runs for them, which is crucial,â added Moody.
