Kings XI Punjab pacer Kyle Abbott said his team was trying to make the most of its remaining matches despite a disappointing start to the tournament, in order to make the cut for the playoffs in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“We are probably better than the results we have to show at the moment. It is important to get off to a good start and unfortunately we didn’t. Last year Mumbai didn’t start off well but took off later and this year they have done it again… We still have seven games left and all to play for to get into those playoffs position,” said Abbott on the eve of KXIP’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens here.
The South African said the change in captaincy in KXIP from David Miller to Murali Vijay was smooth. “Vijay is a senior player and even when Miller was the captain he always had something to say. He always got involved. It has carried on normally. It is just a different voice now. Vijay has always been there and never sat in the background. He always put in his opinion and I think he is going to do well in the next couple of games and the guys are behind him.”
Abbott hoped that big hitting batsmen of the side, such as Miller and Glenn Maxwell, would make an impact. “They know that they haven’t been in the greatest of forms. I am sure they are going to come all right and we have seen glimpses of it.”
Abbott hailed the match-winning performance of left-arm spinner Axar Patel against Gujarat Lions. “A lot of people didn’t realise that it was a hat-trick. It took a while to get there - four overs apart. It was excellent bowling from Axar. He put us into a great position. We have been waiting for a bowling performance like that.”
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