Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble believes that the veteran batsman Chris Gayle could be a good mentor to the side in IPL 2020. Chris Gayle has been one of the most destructive batsmen and also one of the leading scorers in the Indian Premier League.
Currently, the team is training toiling hard in their training camp at the ICC Academy for their first match of the season on September 20.
During an interaction with the media, Kumble said that Gayle’s presence would benefit the team both as a mentor and a player in the playing XI.
“We will have to see the conditions at the main ground as we have been practising,” Kumble said. “Chris has a major role as a player and even otherwise,” Kumble said.
“His leadership, his experience, the youngsters look up to him. It is not just Chris the batsman we are looking at but Chris in a leadership role in terms of his contribution to developing young players. I want him to be active in the mentorship role.” the 49-year-old reiterated.
Kumble also spoke about the challenges KL Rahul could face as the skipper in the upcoming season in picking the right playing XI by saying: “We have a strong team. We needed an impact player in the middle and not just with batting and fielding and Maxwell is also handy with the ball. And a fast bowler who bowls at the death.”
Kings XI Punjab has a good bunch of foreign players this season consisting of Glenn Maxwell, James Neesham, Sheldon Cottrell and Chris Jordan. However, Kumble emphasized on the fact that picking Indian players in the playing XI could be a challenging task the skipper.
Kings XI Punjab will take on Delhi Capitals in their first outing of the IPL 2020 in Dubai at 7:30 PM (IST)
