Bailey: It's a fresh start for Kings XI Punjab

Cricket365
September 15, 2014

Kings XI Punjab captain George Bailey is looking forward to his side's first Champions League T20, having finished second in the IPL to qualify, but says this will be a new tournament with a new mindset.

KXIP lost in the IPL final to Kolkata, despite being the better team for most of the tournament, and this will be their first CLT20. Bailey says the players have moved on from the IPL and will be focused and seeking improvements.

Bailey said: "It is a new start, we take the good things out of IPL, what we learnt as a team and hopefully how much we grew, but I think we focus on the games ahead, it is very much a fresh start.

"It was a good IPL, but it wasn't the IPL that we wanted (not winning the title), so there's still a plenty of room for improvement."

The side will play most of their games in Mohali, their home venue, and Bailey said this was beneficial as the crowd support always gave them a bit of a boost.

He said: "It is nice to be settled in one place and we get good support from the crowds. That makes a big difference, it gives you a good feeling as a playing group."

One question mark for the side is whether fast bowler Mitchell Johnson will be available for the whole tournament, as the one-off T20 against Pakistan could clash with the final, but KXIP are sure they'll be fine without him.

Coach Sanjay Bangar said: "As of now, we are still waiting for clearance from Cricket Australia. We cannot really take a call as of now as we are still waiting for his clearance.

"Whether he is available or not, we still have a group of individuals who are capable of executing the role that is being given to them. It will be good if he is available, but we are ready to cope with the eventuality of his non-availablity."