IPL 2018: Karun Nair Calls Andrew Tye As Smartest Buy From Kings XI Punjab

Karun Nair emerged out as one of the tops buys in the IPL auction as the India batsman was sold for Rs 5.60 Crore to Kings XI Punjab.

The former Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals player has experience of playing 55 IPL games in which he has scored 1158 runs.

He also has captaincy experience in IPL as he led Delhi Daredevils when Zaheer Khan missed a couple of games in the last season.

Nair, Karnataka’s stand-in captain, has said that Andrew Tye was the smartest buy for Kings XI Punjab in IPL,

“Andrew Tye (bought for Rs 7.20 crore) is a good pick. He had done well for Gujarat Lions. You also need a trusted bowler at death to check runs and pick wickets. The addition of Chris Gayle and Yuvraj Singh adds power to it. Gayle has been a legend in the IPL. Any opposition will be wary of hitters like Gayle and Yuvraj,” he told Sportstar during an interaction.

Tye made his IPL debut last year and straightaway made his mark by taking a hat-trick.

Before Gujarat Lions, he was part of Chennai Super Kings but was not given a chance there.

Tye was purchased for Rs 7.20 Crore by Kings XI Punjab and the franchise as well will have big hopes from him.

He took third hat-trick of his T20 career while playing in Big Bash League last year.

Star-studded Kings XI Punjab recently appointed R Ashwin as the captain and on being asked what Ashwin can bring to the team, Nair said,

“I have known Ashwin for the last two or three years, whenever I have been a part of the Indian team. He is a smart thinker and he thinks a great lot about the game. Ashwin has his own ways of doing things and he is really smart about his moves. If you see his bowling, he has all kinds of plans set up for each and every batsman. If one doesn’t work, he goes for the other.”

This will be the first time when he will lead a team in IPL.

During his eight-year-stint in IPL, he has played under one captain, i.e. MS Dhoni.

Ashwin played under Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings from 2009 to 2015.

In 2016, he was bought by Rising Pune Supergiant, which meant that he continued his association with Dhoni.

He did not play the previous edition of IPL due to an injury.

One of the major worries for KXIP will be Ashwin’s form in T20 format.

He has just played one T20 game in more than past one year as he is not a part of India’s limited-overs side now.

A good performance in the tournament can also see Ashwin making his comeback in the limited-overs format.

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