IPL 2019: KXIP coach Mike Hesson is impressed with an Indian bowler ahead of the season

It’s another few days before the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off. The tournament is being held early this year because of the ICC World Cup and all the eight franchises are eager to prove a point or two this season. One of the teams that will look to make an impact is Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). Runners-up of 2014, the franchise has been playing with a revamped side since last year in which they started well but lost the plot towards the later part of the tournament.

The Kings have worked on their batting line-up and with the duo of captain Ravi Ashwin and coach Mike Hesson at the helm, they can expect a good turn of fortunes this year. The side has quite a few big names that can turn games around but at the end of the day, it will all depend on how clinically Ashwin and Hesson do their job in finding the right combination in place.

Hesson impressed with Ankit Rajpoot

One of the Kings’ top hopes will be pacer Ankit Rajpoot. Last year, he played eight matches in all, taking 11 wickets and that included a five-wicket haul against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in an away game. Mike Hesson, too, is optimistic about the 25-year-old bowler from Uttar Pradesh who has 19 wickets from 19 IPL games and recently finished with 14 scalps from nine games in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament.

“Ankit Rajpoot looks skilful bowler, very skilful bowler. Can swing ball both ways. Presents the seam as well as anyone. Him and Mohammed Shami present the seam as well as anyone in the country. He can bowl good pace with the new ball. He’s a very good death option; he can bowl that yorker and get the ball to tail in,” Mike Hesson said about Rajpoot in a video shared by the Kings XI on their official Twitter account.

The former New Zealand coach also said that Rajpoot hasn’t had much chance to bowl in the death overs for the KXIP but is excited to do something on those lines. He also praised the youngster saying that he works hard on his skills and a wicket-taking bowler.

Hesson will expect the Rajpoot-Andrew Tye partnership delivers this season as well and the presence of Shami could make it even more lethal.

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