New Delhi: New-look Kings XI Punjab are off to a flying start in the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League, defeating Delhi Daredevils in their opener by 6 wickets and since then skipper R Ashwin has been receiving praises for the leadership qualities but all-rounder David Miller believes it’s too early to judge Ashwin as a captain.
"He (Ashwin) is very calculated and thinks about the game well. He is a pretty relaxed guy and lets the players do what they want to do, which is the most important thing," said Miller.
"I may not be in a position to say whether Ashwin has made any difference as bowling captain. It is too early and we have played just a game. So far, he has gone about his job pretty well by getting fielders in right places." He added.
Asked whether he sees any change in his role in the middle order, Miller said the players have been told to play exciting cricket but would be flexible as per situation arising in the match.
"No. Not at all. We have been told pretty early that we have to play exciting cricket and play freely. If you need ten runs in an over, you need to hit boundaries. It all depends on what situation we are in, and obviously we will try to flexible in it," he said.
The Punjab based outfit takes on Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday in Bengaluru and they will enter the contest with high confidence, having 3 Karnataka players in their squad. KL Rahul, Karun Nair and Mayank Aggarwal will be up against their home crowd and KXIP will aim to bank on their experience.
KXIP’s explosive batsman Chris Gayle is also in contention to start against his former side on Friday.