IPL 2019: KXIP coach Ryan Harris names Chennai Super Kings the team to beat this season
Harris who won the IPL as a player for Deccan Chargers in 2009 season, has also named two players to watch out for.
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The 12th season of Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to begin on March 23, Saturday with the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Along with all the franchise teams, Kings XI Punjab will also look to have the kind of start they had last season having won five of their first six matches.
Ravichandran Ashwin led the team admirably, but they lost steam in the latter half of the tournament and lost out on the chance to make it into top four. KXIP bowling coach Ryan Harris admitted that the team lacked consistency and confidence despite a good start last year. Chennai became the champions for the third time after they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the finals of the IPL 2018 in Mumbai.
Ryan Harris picks Chennai Super Kings as the team to beat
The KXIP coach put his money on CSK. The defending champions as the team to beat in IPL 2019. Along with CSK, Harris also picked Mumbai Indians as another tough opponent this season.
“Well, it is tough to look past Chennai Super Kings. They are the reigning champions and they have a good squad. I will say Mumbai Indians will also be tough opponents. But, with the World Cup coming up, teams will lose players and it will come down to which team can recover in time,” Ryan Harris was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview.
KXIP players to watch out for
Harris who won the IPL as a player for Deccan Chargers in 2009 season, has named KL Rahul and Chris Gayle as the Kings XI players to watch out for. Rahul scored 659 runs in 14 innings with an average of 54.91. He tallied six half-centuries in that season, including the fastest fifty in IPL ever in just 14 balls. Chris Gayle, on the other hand, scored 368 runs in 11 innings with an average of 40.88 with three half-centuries and a century against Chennai.
“KL looks like he is really focused and that is very important in a big tournament. Gayle is also there with him and we all know what he is capable of,” Harris said.
Kings XI Punjab squad for IPL 2019:
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