IPL 2021: 'He reminds me a bit of Pollard': Anil Kumble lavishes praise on 25-year-old Punjab Kings' batsman | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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IPL 2021: 'He reminds me a bit of Pollard': Anil Kumble lavishes praise on 25-year-old Punjab Kings' batsman

Apr 05, 2021 02:47 PM IST

Former India spinner Anil Kumble lauded the batsmanship of PBKS' Shahrukh, saying the youngster reminds him of West Indies all-rounders Kieron Pollard.

Punjab Kings' batsman Shahrukh Khan has received high praise from Indian bowling legend franchise's Director of Cricket Operations, Anil Kumble, ahead of the start of the new Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) season.

File image of KXIP coach Anil Kumble(Kings Xi Punjab/Twitter)
File image of KXIP coach Anil Kumble(Kings Xi Punjab/Twitter)

Former India spinner Anil Kumble lauded the batsmanship of PBKS' Shahrukh, saying the youngster reminds him of West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard.

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Kumble recollected his experience of bowling to Mumbai Indians' Kieron Pollard in the nets and said that Shahrukh Khan brings a similar skillset to the table.

Elaborating further, Kumble said: "He reminds me a bit of Pollard actually. When I was with Mumbai Indians, Pollard in the nets was dangerous. I used to bowl a bit (in the nets), and the first thing I used to tell him was don't hit straight. Here I'm not even trying. I'm a lot older now, and the body doesn't take the bowling anymore. So, I'm not going to bowl at Shahrukh, for sure".

Shahrukh Khan (right) was sold to Punjab Kings in IPL 2021 auction(PTI)
Shahrukh Khan (right) was sold to Punjab Kings in IPL 2021 auction(PTI)


Chennai-born Shahrukh was bought by the Preity Zinta's franchise for 5.25 crore after winning a bidding war against Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL 2021 auction.

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Shahrukh Khan said that he was pleasantly surprised that there was a bidding war for his services in the auction.

"The auction started at around 3 PM I guess, and we were practising at the Holkar Stadium, obviously I had to bat and bowl a bit. So I told our physio that 'please let me know when my name comes up. I'll take a break and come and see the auction.' Luckily my name didn't come up, and it didn't bother my batting much. Right after we finished practice and we hopped onto the bus, I still remember sitting on the first seat and my name came up. My heart started pumping, but I didn't expect it to rise as much as it did," Shahrukh Khan added.

He was in demand after his exploits in the most recent edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). He has played 31 T20 matches thus far, scoring 293 runs at a strike rate of 131.39

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"Being amongst such stalwarts of cricket, it feels amazing to be here and the inputs have been great. I have been having a lot of conversations with everyone around here, getting to learn a lot as well," Shahrukh Khan said when asked about his Punjab Kings experience.

Punjab Kings will kick off their season against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 12 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

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