JOIN US“It’s fair to say that Kings XI are struggling in terms of the results. But the teams who face them will be wary that they are due for a victory as well.
“You must not take them lightly and must not be complacent. On paper, they are a good side like everyone else. Yes, they can be a party-pooper,” Whatmore said.
Describing under-fire Yuvraj Singh as a fine T20 batsman, Whatmore said, “There is no doubt about his ability as a T20 batsman. We just hope to continue to get him out cheap.”
Knights have got a boost by the joining of Brendon McCullum and the coach hinted that the explosive Kiwi opener might come in place of either Chris Gayle or David Hussey.
“Personally speaking, he (McCullum) is an opening batsman. He got a hundred against Australia in T20. He will be discussed as to where he can be slotted. Who is another opener? I don’t think he is going to replace Angelo (Mathews), who is allrounder. Probably (David) Hussey or Chris (Gayle).
But Whatmore brought in an air of confusion saying Gayle was not out of form. “No, he is a terrific player. He is a matchwinner. You don’t expect a matchwinner to perform always. They come up with one or two efforts and win the game.”
Whatmore hinted that the team has an injury concern to one of the main players but refused to divulge. “We have one... but not quite sure. It’s not the time to tell you.”
But he cleared Hussey, who had a stomach bug on Friday. “Hussey is alright, he is good as you saw him today,” Whatmore said.