IPL 2021 Auction: Anil Kumble feels that Punjab Kings ‘have the perfect balance of youth and experience’


IPL 2021 Auction: Anil Kumble feels that Punjab Kings ‘have the perfect balance of youth and experience’

Going into the auction, the newly named Punjab Kings boasted a purse of over 50 crores. And it was no surprise that they notched up some big names. Among their buys, young Australian quicks Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith were costliest at 14 crores and 8 crores respectively. Their inclusion meant the Kings had an exciting pace battery with the likes Mohammed Shami and Chris Jordan spearheading it.

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The Kings also spent big bucks on Tamil Nadu all-rounder Shahrukh Khan. They roped in the hard-hitting batsman for 5.25 crores to strengthen their lower middle order which struggled last season. They also roped in the world’s number T20I batsman Dawid Malan for his base price of 1.5 crores. Without any doubt, it was their best buy as the Englishman can bat anywhere in the order. Aussie all-rounder Moises Henriques was another excellent buy for the franchise who hardly put a foot wrong in the auction.

“We have struck the right chords to come out stronger and better,” feels Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble

Head coach Anil Kumble is very satisfied with their buys this auction. Kumble feels that they have played all their cards right. And are a better team now going into the auction. The Kings are looking a force to reckon on paper. And Kumble hopes that they will be able to lift their first IPL trophy this season.

We were looking forward to some smart buys which can balance the core of Punjab Kings squad and strengthen our team structure. We have the perfect balance of youth and experience in the squad, we are confident that we have struck the right chords to come out stronger and better,” Kumble was quoted by ANI

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Fabian Allen, Jalaj Saxena, Saurabh Kumar and Utkarsh Singh are the other players who will be featuring for the Kings this season. Satish Menon, CEO, Punjab Kings shares that the franchise went into the mini-auction with their plans clear. And he is glad that everything went well for the side ahead of the upcoming season.

Menon said, “We went into this auction knowing exactly who we wanted and just went for it. We’ve got some interesting picks this season and have put together a great team. We’re excited, we’re motivated and we look forward to the new season.

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