We will miss Maxwell, says Sanjay Bangar, as Kings XI Punjab look to avoid last-place finish

Bengaluru: Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar said losing Glenn Maxwell at the fag end of the Indian Premier League is a big blow to the team, which has already been eliminated from the tournament.

However, he said, this would give an opportunity to Farhaan Behradien, who is an underrated player but one who does a tremendous role as finisher for the South Africans. “We will miss Maxwell’s presence and energy in the field, but we have total faith in someone like Farhaan to step up and do the job that Maxwell was doing,” he told reporters on the eve of KXIP’s next match against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

On Hashim Amla’s IPL debut , Bangar said the South African is a world class player and matched the requirements of the team. “He is a world class player who had not got the opportunity to play in the IPL. He was somebody who actually matched the requirements of the team as far as selection was concerned,” he said.

Bangar was also all praise for new skipper Murali Vijay, saying he is a bowlers’ captain and has helped his batting flourish as well. “The players, especially the bowlers, are feeling really comfortable with him. He is a bowler’s captain. There is a lot of communication going on between him and the bowlers,” he said. “It has helped his batting flourish as well. This is his most successful season with us as a batsman. It augurs really well for us.”

Bangar added that to have an Indian captain is an advantage in the IPL, as it gives the team the liberty to play with different  combinations of foreign players. “An Indian captain gives you more option. This is by no means to underrate the foreign captains, but an Indian at the helm is always an added advantage because it gives you the liberty to play with a certain combination as far as foreign players are concerned,” he said.

And though Kings XI Punjab are bottom of the IPL points table currently, Bangar said he is very happy with the quality of cricket the team has played. “The last six games we have played have all gone to the wire and we lost by very slim margins, which could have gone either way. I am very happy with the quality of cricket Kings XI Punjab have played in the last six games,” he said.