IPL 2020 | KL Rahul is extremely talented, we see a 'leadership spark' in him, says KXIP CEO

09/15/2020

KXIP CEO Satish Menon has revealed that the franchise was waiting for the right opportunity to hand over the reins to an extremely talented KL Rahul. He further added that with Anil Kumble joining the Kings XI Punjab set-up, there couldn't have been any better time to make Rahul the captain.

KL Rahul has been one of the best performers in IPL in recent years. He has had an incredible time with Kings XI Punjab opening the batting for them besides keeping wickets and now this time around, the stylish cricketer will also be captaining the side for the first time as a result of his brilliant displays.

Kings XI CEO Satish Menon termed the classical right-hander as 'extremely talented' and also stated that the franchise had always seen leadership spark in him and as a result, he was given the top job at the best possible time.

"He is extremely talented, and the world has seen his exploits. We see a spark of leadership in him, and have been in fact waiting for an opportune time to give him captaincy. We thought this was the right year to do so, under the guidance of Anil Kumble. I don’t think there could have been a more opportune time to make him the captain," Menon told timesnownews.com.

Notably, KXIP had surprised one and all when they broke the bank for the aggressive Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell for a whopping Rs 10.75 crore. Menon, however, feels that they had their plans in place to get him back in the franchise as he very well understands how the franchise functions.

"It is not about breaking the bank. The analytics team had figured out that they want him, and charted a plan. They also budgeted for him, although I am unsure about the specific price they had decided. Then, during the auction, you know how things are; we have to take decisions instantly. Maxwell has been a part of the system, he knows exactly how things function here. We don’t have any expectations as such. You can’t tell a cricketer that these are my expectations. We expect him to be in his usual form. If we look back, Dubai has been his happy hunting ground. He seems to be in good nick. The only thing that can be assured is that he is at home here in Kings XI."

KXIP will play their first game against Delhi Capitals on September 20 at the Dubai international stadium.