IPL 2022 | KL Rahul seemed to be preoccupied while captaining Punjab Kings, remarks Sunil Gavaskar

IPL 2022 commenced on March 26 and there have been some exciting matches in the tournament so far. Two new franchises, Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants will feature in their debut season. KL Rahul who was captaining Punjab Kings last season will be seen leading Lucknow Super Giants for the upcoming season. 

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is of the opinion that KL Rahul seemed to be preoccupied whenever he was leading Punjab Kings last season. 

"When he was the captain of Punjab Kings, he seemed to be preoccupied, maybe he was not getting the 11 that he wanted. The new franchise Lucknow Super Giants is going to be a different challenge for KL and if he can bat the way he did in previous seasons and take the team to the knockouts if not actually the finals, then he would have taken a big step forward as far as his own cricketing career is concerned," Gavaskar said on Star Sports' show 'Gameplan'.

LSG also have Quinton De Kock in their squad and he along with Rahul will make a superb opening pair. De Kock has scored 2256 runs from 77 matches with an average of 31.33. Gavaskar stated that the pair can get the team a flying start at the top of the innings. 

"The best part about Quinton de Kock is the fact that he also has captaincy experience. He has been a captain of South Africa and knows all formats of the game. He knows what team building is all about because we are talking about a different team now. He will be very keen to contribute towards the team-building process," he explained.

"KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock's right-hand and left-hand combination makes a devastating opening pair and they can get the team off to a flying start.”