Was looking forward to captaining KXIP in IPL 2020, reveals KL Rahul

The new skipper of Kings XI Punjab, KL Rahul, was looking forward to captaining his IPL franchise in the 2020 edition of the marquee tournament. KL Rahul was named the captain of the Punjab-based franchise when Ravichandran Ashwin, who led the side in 2018 and 2019, was traded to the Delhi Capitals.

KL Rahul was in red hot form for the Indian team at the beginning of this year and had been performing consistently for the Men in Blue over the past 12 months. Thus, he would have liked to bring the same momentum into the IPL. But IPL 2020, which was supposed to begin from March 29, has been postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

KL Rahul opens up on the now-postponed IPL 2020

KL Rahul was in good form prior to the lockdown

KL Rahul spoke to Mayank Agarwal on the show 'Open Nets with Mayank' which can be found on IPL's official website.

"I actually have missed the IPL a lot. It was going to be a big season for me captaining the team and I felt like we have got some really really exciting players in the line-up. I was really looking forward to playing with Chris and you and Maxi and a few other guys coming in."

Chris Gayle

The Universe Boss Chris Gayle was also a part of the chat and spoke about the current situation, adding that it was the longest time that he had been at home. But at the same time, he understood that the safety of the players was of paramount importance and hence the decision had to be respected. Gayle elucidated:

"I am missing cricket as a whole to be honest. This is the longest I have ever been home. Normally, I would be away playing for some franchise. But for me this is the longest I have spent at home. It is life and this is just part of nature and we have to just accept it. Life goes on you know... can't complain much."