'I would want to genuinely watch what KL Rahul does in this IPL' - Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian opening batsman Gautam Gambhir has opined that KL Rahul would be the player to watch out for in IPL 2020. He added that it would be interesting to see the impact captaincy could have on the Kings XI Punjab batting mainstay.
Gautam Gambhir made these observations during an interaction on the Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
On being asked which player could hit the most sixes in the upcoming IPL, Gautam Gambhir responded that he is extremely keen on watching KL Rahul showcase his wares in IPL 2020.
"I would want to genuinely watch what KL Rahul does in this IPL."
The 38-year-old reasoned that the Kings XI Punjab opening batsman is an outstanding player in the limited-overs formats of the game, although he may not have been that prolific in the longest version of the sport so far.
"Because according to me KL Rahul is a fantastic T20 cricketer, probably not Test cricket, but definitely T20 and white-ball cricketer."
Gautam Gambhir on the additional pressure of captaincy on KL Rahul
Gautam Gambhir mentioned that it would be interesting to watch how the additional pressure of captaincy impacts KL Rahul's game.
The former Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals captain observed that there have been many talented players whose games have flourished after taking up captaincy. He also added that there had been several instances when a player's game has fallen apart due to the added pressure of the role.
"This time he has got the captaincy. We will have to see if he relishes the captaincy because there have been a lot of promising players who have relished captaincy and there have been many other promising players who have been pulled down by the pressures of captaincy."
KL Rahul will be captaining an IPL side for the first time in his career, having been appointed as the captain of Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2020. He would be happy to have the support of his supremely experienced senior statemate Anil Kumble as the head of the coaching staff.
KL Rahul has been in sensational form in the last two editions of the IPL. With 1252 runs to his name in IPL 2018 and 2019, he is the highest run-scorer in the league in this period. He would hope to continue with this terrific form and not let the pressures of captaincy have an adverse impact on his game.