Wasim Jaffer Explains Why KXIP Appointed KL Rahul As Captain

Kings XI Punjab has been one of the most inconsistent sides in the tournament history; however, that could change with KL Rahul at the helm. KL Rahul has been one of the most consistent performers for Punjab and will captain an IPL team for the first time in the forthcoming season. Meanwhile, batting coach Wasim Jaffer has highlighted the reason behind appointing the keeper-batsman as the skipper.

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Ahead of the 2020 season, Kings XI Punjab released Ravichandran Ashwin from their ranks, under whom the franchise yielded underwhelming returns. They also triggered an overhaul of their coaching staff, appointing Anil Kumble as the head coach and Andy Flower as his assistant. KXIP also roped in the likes of Jonty Rhodes, Wasim Jaffer, and Charl Langeveldt while also signing some exciting new players.

Wasim Jaffer has underlined that KL Rahul is a very stable guy, having played in plenty of IPL editions. Jaffer added that he is one of the most vital cogs in their line-up, performing multiple roles. The former first-class veteran claimed that being behind the stumps will help him to gauge the situation more effectively.

“Rahul should be able to do well, there is no doubt about it because he is quite a stable guy. He has been around, has played so many IPLs, so he knows how to go about it. He led in a few games last year. He is probably one of the most important members of our team. He carries the batting of Kings XI Punjab, he keeps wickets. And being behind the stumps will also help him,” the 42-year old told Rediff.com.

“KL Rahul has got a sound temperament” : Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer continued saying that the Karnataka keeper-batsman is sound and been with the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, helping him to imbibe some leadership qualities. Hence, he feels that KL Rahul will not face a problem in leading the team and there are colleagues to help him out. The right-handed batsman has averaged over 50 comfortably in the previous two seasons.

“Importantly, he has got a sound temperament. He has been around in the Indian set-up, he has played with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he has played with Virat Kohli and he has played in so many IPLs so I don’t think it will be a huge problem for him to captain Kings XI. A lot of other people are also there to help him, so it looks good,” the former Indian opener added.

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