Tom Banton is the new or better version of Kevin Pietersen, says David Hussey

Chief Mentor of KKR feels Eoin Morgan can be a great ally to skipper Dinesh Karthik

The Hussey brothers of Australia have a long standing relationship with the Indian Premier League (IPL). While Michael Hussey, nicknamed ‘Mr Cricket’ had contributed hugely behind Chennai Super Kings’ consistency in the initial years before taking up the position of a batting mentor, David had been more of a journeyman in the richest T20 league in the world. A quintessential limited overs specialist, the younger of the Hussey brothers had played for CSK, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders, followed by stints as a commentator. This season, however, will see David Hussey in a significant role of the Chief Mentor of two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders who are looking to turn the corner after narrowly failing to make the play-offs last year. Hussey struck the first positive note about the new signings this season when he lavished praise on Tom Banton, the in-form England opener, when he compared him to the classy Kevin Pietersen — a presumptious observation but sure to do wonders for the youngster’s morale. ‘‘He is [a] new version or [a] better version of Kevin Pietersen,” he said during a media interaction organised by the team earlier this week. Banton, 21, is a wicketkeeper batsman who first caught the eye while playing for Brisbane Heat in Australia’s Big Bash League last season, Banton had a strike rate of 176.98 — not much inferior to Andre Russell’s striker rate last year was 182.12 — on the way to three half-centuries in seven games. During the auction last December, the Knights made an interesting choice in roping in Eoin Morgan, the ICC World Cup-winning England captain and a matchwinner in the T20 format. While there are no doubts about Karthik being the captain, Morgan’s presence will certainly create the environment for a collective leadership in the team. “A classy player, he (Morgan) will be a great ally to Karthik, maybe fielding in the ring talking to bowlers. He is also a very cool, calm collected person who will be handy controlling things in the middle,” said Hussey.

David Hussey has high hopes for the young Tom Banton (pictured below) this season