Dhawan confident of winning elusive IPL trophy
DELHI’S KOLKATA’S
Kolkata Knight Riders, who have a new think tank in place headed by coach Brendon McCullum, are exploring the options of promoting their explosive all-rounder Andre Russell at number three, team mentor David Hussey said on Sunday.
The star Jamaican, who was adjudged the Most Valuable Player last season, had blamed some "bad decisions" for the two-time former champions missing out on the playoffs.
Hussey said they are thinking of different combinations this season, which includes promoting Russell at three.
"If it benefits the team and helps us win games of cricket, why not? If that means Andre Russell comes in at three and bats 60 balls, he might actually make a double hundred. Anything can happen with Dre Russ," Hussey said in a news conference here.
Russell scored 510 runs from 13 innings, averaging 56.66 and also picked up 11 wickets.
Terming Russell as the heartbeat of the team, the former Australia cricketer said: "A fantastic player, he is probably almost the heartbeat of the team as well.
"We've actually got really a well-balanced team... Anyone can bat in any different position. But if it benefits the team, why not, why can't he bat up the
Ahead of the commencement of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Delhi Capitals batsman Shikhar Dhawan has exuded confidence in his side saying that "we will win the tournament this year".
"First five months I did not really think about cricket, it was just about making sure that we do not get the infection, once we were allowed to go out, I started training. I invested in my training and I used to visualise myself playing good cricket," Dhawan said in a press conference here on Sunday.
"As a team, we are looking forward to playing this IPL nicely, it is list." KKR have an all new coaching set-up in former
New Zealand captain McCullum as head coach, Hussey as mentor and Kyle
Mills as the bowling coach.
Under McCulum, KKR will look for combinations that can take on the bowlers, Hussey said.
"Anyone who knows Brendon McCullum is aware that he plays the game at 100 miles per hour, and he tries to encourage the players to take the game on. So we've got players who can take the game on, players who can fit in the anchor role." Eoin Morgan will be seen as Dinesh Karthik's deputy and Hussey hoped that England's World Cup-winning skipper proves to be a good ally with his calm head. important to get together as a team, we have a balanced side, we are confident that we will win the tournament this year," he added.
Praising the team's captain, Shreyas Iyer, Dhawan said: "Shreyas did a good job as a captain in the last season as well, this year we have (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Ajinkya) Rahane as well, they are experienced campaigners, Shreyas has an open mind, he would be open to learning from them, I am confident that Shreyas would lead the team nicely this year as well." Initially, the 13th edition of the IPL was slated to begin on March 29 but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the tournament will take place in the UAE, starting from September 19.
IPL will be played across three venues -- Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
During the tournament, the players will have to follow several protocols laid down by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Dhawan said that BCCI has done a good job and the players have already been tested several times for COVID-19.
"I never thought for a moment that there was a risk of playing this tournament, I am confident about my health, we are following safety guidelines, we have been tested eight-nine times already for COVID-19, we are walking around with a badge/tracking device, BCCI has done a good job, it is a good thing that the tournament is going ahead in these testing times," he said.