Tom Banton Excited To Play With Andre Russell, Pat Cummins For KKR

England opener Tom Banton is excited to make his debut appearance in the IPL. He was roped in by KKR for IPL 2020 after he displayed his calibre for England in the shortest format of the game. Banton, one of the young talents in the IPL, will be a player to watch out for in the IPL 2020.

Banton started his journey as hockey player but later turned to cricket. KKR have quite a few exciting talents in their ranks and the wicket-keeper is excited to play alongside the West Indies’ hard-hitting batsman Andre Russell and top ranked Test fast bowler Pat Cummins. The opener also recalled playing alongside the likes of Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shubman Gill at a young age.

“I am particularly excited to play alongside Andre Russell and Pat Cummins. I watched Andre last year, and he played really well. Learning from someone like him will be really cool,” Banton said in an interview on kkr.in.

“There are a few guys of my age – (Shivam) Mavi, (Kamlesh) Nagarkoti and Shubman (Gill) – whom I have played against when I was younger. It would be great to see them again.”

Banton has featured in three T20Is and six ODIs for England. He has a half-century in the ODI format and has an average over 26.

Meanwhile, after VIVO pulled out as the sponsors for IPL, Dream 11 bagged the deal for Rs.220 crore for four months. IPL will get underway from September 19 with the final being played on November 10. However, the final fixture for the lucrative tournament is still to be announced, with Mumbai Indians set to put their title on defense.