‘Shahid Afridi has brains’: Navjot Singh Sidhu’s glowing praise for KKR stars in IPL 2024 | Cricket News

Former India cricket team batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu is known for his witty comments and this time, he has taken a swipe at Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer ) made sensational praise. Sidhu was full of praise for the Indian batsman, saying Shreyas was like a “Shahid Afridi with brains”. Shreyas will lead KKR in IPL 2024 and it will be a perfect opportunity for him to prove his ability against quality opponents after being snubbed by the BCCI central contract. Sidhu went on to say that he did not see Shrias batting at first order and praised his ability to adapt to the situation while batting.

“Rishabh Pant, I’m a big fan of him. Because he has his own style. You can have your role models. But his own style makes him unique. His sweeps, pulls and performances in England. From injuries Recovering and playing in the IPL is commendable,” Sidhu said on Star Sports.

“Having the perseverance to get out of difficult situations makes you ten times stronger.”

“Shreyas Iyer is like a bulldozer. He reminds me of a better Shahid Afridi. An Afridi with a better brain. He adapts to the situation,” the former India batsman Hand added.

Meanwhile, KKR’s most successful leader Gautam Gambhir is back in the second innings as a mentor. “This is your team, win or lose,” team principal owner Shah Rukh Khan told Gambhir. Under the former Indian cricketer’s captaincy, KKR had a golden run between 2011 and 2017 – two IPL titles, five playoff appearances and a run in the now-defunct Champions League T20 tournament Won second place.

The biggest signing of this IPL was KKR’s acquisition of Starc for a record Rs 24.75 crore. The left-arm fast player will face huge pressure to perform.

His magic on the power play and death overs will be key. Starc and Andre Russell are the only two experienced pacers in KKR’s squad and with no similar replacements available, their workload management will be crucial.

KKR have a star-studded top-order batting line-up of Rahmanullah Gubaz, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas to match the firepower of Russell-Rinku Singh.

But the Gambhir-led side will rely heavily on home conditions to provide some spin to the likes of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma .

(with PTI input)