IPL 2020: Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins will 'add a lot of value' to Kolkata Knight Riders, says Abhishek Nayar
by Anuj Nitin PrabhuKolkata Knight Riders' assistant coach Abhishek Nayar believes that Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins will add a lot of value and quality to the Kolkata-based side in IPL 2020.
KKR went behind both Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan in the IPL 2020 auction and bought them for INR 15.5 crores and INR 5.25 crores, respectively.
Eoin Morgan has led England to 2019 World Cup glory while Cummins is the vice-captain of the Australian team as well as the number-one ranked Test bowler.
Abhishek Nayar believes that the duo will add a lot of depth to the leadership group in KKR and will help skipper Dinesh Karthik to captain the side. He told Sportstar:
“One of the things we were looking for the team was leadership quality in the group. Brendon and Dinesh were very upfront about it. We thought Morgan and Cummins could add a lot of value. One is a World Cup winner and the other is the No. 1 Test bowler and vice-captain of Australia. This is what we needed. Hopefully, we will have a great season.”
Very pleased to see Kamlesh Nagarkoti finally getting to play: Abhishek Nayar
Abhishek Nayar also spoke about Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who was one of the stars for India in the 2018 U19 World Cup. The 20-year-old unfortunately missed out on the 2018 and 2019 seasons of the IPL due to long-term injuries.
Kamlesh Nagarkoti is fully fit this time around, and Nayar is hopeful that he will stay fit throughout the IPL. He is looking forward to seeing the young man bowl with raw pace to torment the batsmen.
Abhishek Nayar said:
“All the kids are good within the aspect. Kamlesh, Shivam (Mavi) and all of the boys know the way particular they’re and what they will do. I believe it’s nice that Kamlesh is match fit and hopefully he’ll stay match fit for the IPL. Personally, I might be very pleased to see the child lastly getting to play after two years. These are thrilling occasions forward."
KKR will begin their IPL 2020 campaign against defending champions Mumbai Indians on 23rd September at Abu Dhabi.
Published 14 Sep 2020, 17:17 IST