IPL 2020: ‘I do not worry about being in the playing XI’ - KXIP’s Sheldon Cottrell on chances of selection

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) pacer Sheldon Cottrell has said that he is looking forward to joining his new team but believes that the quality of the KL Rahul-led side does not guarantee a place for him in the starting line-up.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, the West Indian fast bowler heaped praise on his KXIP teammates and said that he is excited to rub shoulders with fellow West Indians Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran:

“I am really excited. I am looking forward to playing among the biggest names in the sport. I look forward to being captained by KL Rahul, and playing with Mohammed Shami, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and all those guys... Pooran and I are always talking cricket. He is a very passionate and educated cricketer. Look forward to being in the same team with them.”

Odds are, however, not in favour of Sheldon Cottrell as he is placed below Indian fast bowler Mohammad Shami and all-rounders Chris Jordan and Jimmy Neesham in the KXIP pecking order. However, Cottrell is unfazed by it and said he will contribute to KXIP in any way possible. He said:

“I do not worry about being in the playing XI because I’m a team person. Jordan is a great cricketer. Shami is a great cricketer. I look forward to be a part of the set up. Getting in the eleven is out of my hand, but I know I’m going to give 120 percent all the time.”

‘Anything different can be a bit of a challenge’: KXIP pacer Sheldon Cottrell

KXIP finished sixth in IPL 2019 (Image Credits: The India Express)

What might work in his favour is that there aren’t many left-arm pacers in IPL 2020. Cottrell, too, acknowledged that he can pose a different challenge to batsmen because there are very few lefties playing cricket nowadays. He said:

“Though it’s a right-hand dominant game and it’s a bit different for a batsman to face a left-arm bowler, in the end it’s all about execution...A batsman normally faces a right-arm bowler 80-85 percent in his career. Anything different can be a bit of a challenge due to the different angle and line. That’s what I can bring to the table.”

It will be a maiden IPL experience for Cottrell, who has become increasingly famous for his salute-and-explode celebration. He picked five wickets in seven games for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL).