Ahead of their match today against the Mumbai Indians, the assistant coach Shane Watson addressed the press conference. Andre Russell, the power-hitter of the Knight Riders, retired from IPL last year in November. The West Indies player then joined the team as their Power Coach to mentor the finishers and train the batters for hitting sixes.
Andre had been an integral part of the team, who had played a key role in the team’s success in the last few years. His absence from the team would be deeply noticed this year until KKR gets a power hitter who starts hitting big sixes from the beginning. Watson admitted the big hole, Russell’s exclusion from the team during the press conference.
Will Angkrish also be a wicketkeeper for KKR this year?
Powell is the only batter who comes close to filling Andre’s shoes, but he can only be fit if they can play Angkrish Raghuvanshi as a wicket-keeping batsman. To solve this concern, the management has shown great faith in their player Ramandeep Singh, whom they trust to fill this role.
“He is a highly skilled young man. I have only been commentating the last couple of seasons and seeing him from afar a little bit, Ramandeep, to be able to see his ridiculous batting skill and power that he has got and his all-round capabilities as well. I have got really high hopes for Ramandeep and what he is able to do”, the assistant coach said.
Ramandeep hadn’t had a remarkable IPL til now, as he has only played seven innings and scored only 47 runs last season, as KKR have not been able to utilise his potential greatly.
