Meet and Greet with Former Australian batsman Mike Hussey on this year’s KPL talent

Bangalore, 1st August 2018: The players taking part in the seventh edition of the Karbonn Smartphones Karnataka Premier League, powered by Lakshmi Vilas Bank, were given a huge boost by Australia cricket legend Michael Hussey. “I will be watching you,” stated Mr. Cricket himself.

Hussey is the batting coach of Chennai Super Kings, the team that won the IPL earlier this year and he made clear that he would be using the KPL to spot any talent that he could then lure to the CSK. “I would like to lay out in the open here that I will also be checking out the players from a CSK point of view,” he said.

Walking in accompanied by members of a Yakshagana troupe Hussey took the stage by storm at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday evening. “I love coming here,” he started. “I have lots of fond memories of this famous ground, both with the Australian team and the IPL.”

Hussey was part of the Star Sports commentary team for the KPL last season and he had fond memories of his time. “I was privileged to be part of the KPL last year and I was blown away by how good the tournament was,” said Hussey, adding: “It’s a great opportunity for young players to be out there playing under real pressure, being on TV and in front of big crowds. It’s also a great opportunity for the KSCA to identify young players and prepare them for higher cricket.”

Earlier, once sports commentator Charu Sharma had done introducing Hussey, KSCA President Sanjay Desai welcomed the legend. “Let me start off by saying that on behalf of the KSCA, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Michael Hussey. He’s a true legend of the game and to have him on board the KPL is a huge thing. Imagine a player catching Hussey’s eye on the field of play, his career could just take off. That’s the kind of effect people like Hussey can have,” said Mr Desai.

The evening ended with Hussey offering a piece of advice to the team owners in all the franchise-based leagues, including the KPL. “I have never seen at T20 campaign go well all the way, that’s the nature of the format. I have seen team owners panic too soon when we don’t do well. My advice would be to just stay calm. That’s what I learnt from great captains such as Ricky Ponting and MS Dhoni,” said Hussey.