Kings XI Punjab are ready for the IPL: George Bailey

George Bailey

Pune, April 9 (IANS)

George Bailey, skipper of Kings XI Punjab – the IPL 2014 season runners-up – on Thursday said his team has been training hard and aims to get off to a positive start against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when the two sides clash here on Friday.

“It's been a quick preparation for a lot of our guys. But the whole squad has been playing a lot of cricket. We are ready for the new season challenge. We had a very good season last year but it's time for us to regroup and move forward and focus on this year,” Bailey was quoted as saying by iplt20.com.

Their first opposition of the season, Royals have a strong line-up led by Shane Watson.

Asked about their strategy to tackle Australians James Faulkner and Steve Smith, who come into IPL riding on good form, Bailey replied, “The beauty of that is we have got a lot of Australians too and have lot of faith in each other. So we can target specific areas that we can try and exploit any weakness, if they have.”

Kings XI have their own demolition man in Glenn Maxwell. Speaking about the big-hitting batsman, Bailey said, “His role hasn't really changed from last season. He had a fabulous season for us and that's why he is an important player as he comes into every facet of the game.

“He is obviously hard for other teams to pin down, probably has a wider range of shots than anyone else in the world,” Bailey signed off.