Miller: 'Vijay's absence will provide opportunities for youngsters'

Ahead of Kings XI Punjab's first game of this season against Rising Pune Supergiant, its former skipper David Miller spoke about the team's chances; Murali Vijay's absence; Glenn Maxwell's leadership among other things.

David Miller, with eight fifties in the last four seasons, is a key member of Kings XI Punjab.

After enduring a forgettable Indian Premier League (IPL) last year, in which it finished at the bottom, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) has rebuilt its army.

Ahead of the league's 10th season, KXIP has added a few top-class players — Eoin Morgan, Matt Henry, Martin Guptill, Darren Sammy among others — to strengthen its line-up.

Among the unchanged is David Miller — with eight half centuries and an average of 43.72 in the last four seasons — a key member of the squad.

When asked about KXIP's chances this season ahead of the team's first game against Rising Pune Supergiant, Miller said, "We just have to continue to perform as a unit and make sure we don't lose our momentum till the end. As a cricketer one always needs to learn from its mistakes. I am looking forward to this season."

Murali Vijay has been ruled out of this season. When asked how much it would affect KXIP in finding a stable opening pair, he said, "I don't think its going to affect the team much. No doubt he has plenty of experience and we will miss that but at the same time it will open up opportunities for the youngsters like Manan Vohra and Armaan Jaffer to prove themselves and with players like Shaun Marsh in the team we have some experience as well."

In the last three seasons, KXIP has thrice changed its captain with a hope to produce good results.

Miller was positive team's new captain Glenn Maxwell. "We've been playing in the same team for the past couple of years. He is an experienced player and I am sure he would lead the team well. He is a wonderful person to work with."

About Virender Sehwag's guidance in the training camp, Miller said, "He just tells us to focus on our current game, forgetting about our past failures. He builds up the team's confidence and tells everyone to keep their temperament regardless of victory or a loss."