Glenn Maxwell fills ‘power-hitter gap’ at Kings XI: Anil Kumble

Kolkata: Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble has revealed the reason why the franchise splurged big for Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell at the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.

Maxwell, who has not been considered for the next month’s ODI series against, returned to Kings XI Punjab for Rs 10.75 crore after a fierce bidding war with Delhi Capitals.

“We have done well, because we had almost 50 per cent getting into the auction and by far we have gotten what we wanted. This is a good platform for Glenn Maxwell with the T20 World Cup around the corner to come here and we know the quality he brings, not just as a batsman but as a fielder and a bowling option and he can bat anywhere in the middle order too,” Kumble said while speaking at Star Sports’ Cricket Live Show.

“So that’s the advantage and we needed a power hitter and we felt Maxwell was the right person to fill that gap,” he added.

Maxwell, 31, had taken a break from cricket to deal with mental health issues earlier this year but has now returned to the cricket field and is currently taking part in the Big Bash League (BBL).

Meanwhile, the Punjab-based franchise also brought in Chris Jordan, who is considered as England’s best bowler in T20s. “We were looking for Chris Morris initially but once he got out of hand and we lost him, we felt that Chris Jordan would fill that spot for us,” said Kumble while speaking on the thought process behind buying Jordan for Rs3 crore.

India opener KL Rahul will be leading Kings XI Punjab in next year’s IPL edition. IANS

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