Excited to play under Anil Kumble: Punjab Kings new recruit Shahrukh Khan

Preity Zinta’s Punjab Kings made some fine calls during the IPL 2021 mini auctions on Thursday in Chennai. Among these picks was one fine striker of the ball, Shahrukh Khan who plays for Tamil Nadu and has gathered a lot of praise for his batting skills. In an exclusive chat with OneCricket, Shahrukh talked about how he felt after getting picked up by the Punjab franchise and what his future plans are. 

“I’m really feeling good that the franchise has selected me. More than the amount, I’m delighted that I have got an opportunity to be a part of the IPL and show my skills and talent ” Khan said who was sold to Punjab for Rs. 5.25 Cr. 

When asked about his further plans and how he would go about the things now, the aggressive batsman suggested that he would continue to play his natural game. “I will continue with my natural game as I have been doing pretty well. I have got good results with whatever I have been doing till now and don’t want to tweak that,” Shahrukh said. 

Talking about the Punjab Kings’ coaching staff and team, the right-handed batsman expressed his excitement to play under Anil Kumble who is the head coach. “I am really looking forward to playing under Anil Kumble. He is a legend and it is going to be a big learning process for me,” the 25-year-old said. 

A video had gone viral on social media where the Tamil Nadu team players are seen watching Shahrukh’s name getting into the bid war. When asked about how the team-mates felt on his pick, Shahrukh told that all the players were really happy. 

“Look, all the players in the team share a very good bond and tuning. We celebrate each other's success. If you have seen the video, you would know how happy the team was when I was picked. Moreover, DK bhai (Dinesh Karthik) and our assistant coach have helped me throughout. They have been monitoring my batting and also helped me improve. I really feel good and lucky to receive such support.”

The Vijay Hazare Trophy which is the One-day tournament is slated to begin from Saturday. In a discussion about the fixture, Shahrukh talked about the preparations. “We have been practicing regularly and have a set routine. We want to continue with whatever we have been doing as a team in the upcoming fixtures too,” Shahrukh said. 

Here’s a look at Punjab Kings full squad: FINAL SQUAD: KL Rahul (c&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Prabsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Riley Meredith, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar