Earlier today, David Miller was unceremoniously sacked as the captain of Kings XI Punjab and Murali Vijay was tasked to step into his shoes. It was a bold move considering that replacing a captain in the middle of a season complicates matters more.
However, Kings XI Head Coach Sanjay Bangar clarified that the decision was taken in the best interests of the team. Indian Express reported the 43-year old opening up about the circumstances surrounding Miller’s axing.
Bangar affirmed, “We felt that David Miller’s batting was suffering because of extra responsibility of leading the side and the decision was made just to free him from the extra burden of captaincy.”
A key batsman for his franchise, Miller has had a terrible season with only 76 runs from 6 matches at a paltry average of 15.20. Despite his ouster from the top job, he could still remain a vital part of the Punjab middle-order.
Bangar asserted, “David is an integral part of the team and we are looking forward to his vital contribution with the bat. As a coach, it’s my job and I had to communicate to him. And he took the decision in right spirit. The decision was taken for team’s interest.”
Also Read: IPL 2016: Murali Vijay handed Kings XI Punjab captaincy after team's dismal start in tournament
He even quipped that switching captains mid-way through an IPL season was not a news thing. Bangar said, “It’s not happened first time in the IPL that captaincy has been changed mid-way in the tournament. It has happened in the past.”
The former Indian all-rounder added, “Vijay is very keen to take the responsibility. He has led Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and under his captaincy – Tamil Nadu has won domestic T20 and one day tournament. So, he has the experience of leading the side.”
With the Kings XI languishing at the bottom of the table, it would take a remarkable turnaround to reach the play-offs. But, Bangar declined to direct the blame on the overseas batsmen.
He noted, “Not only overseas players have failed but Indian batsmen too could not contribute much with the bat for us and we want significant contributions from the Indian batsmen.”
Despite the poor performance from the batting lineup, the bowlers have managed to impress him. Bangar felt, "Indian bowlers like Mohit Sharma and Sandeep Sharma have done well for us and now we want contributions from the Indian batsmen.”
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