'In the middle order we needed someone who could really be a destructive player and that's why we chose Glenn Maxwell.'
Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble said his franchise went all out for Glenn Maxwell in the IPL players' auction on Thursday as the team needed firepower in the middle-order.
Kings XI, who went into the auction with the biggest available purse of Rs 42.70 crore, spent Rs 10.75 crore for Australia's Maxwell and Rs 8.50 crore for West Indian pacer Sheldon Cottrell.
"For us, the gaps that we had to fill were pretty evident. We had to fill the fast bowlers slots and also the powerhitters because for us, in the middle order we needed someone who could really be a destructive player and that's why we chose Glenn Maxwell," Kumble said.
"Of course all-rounders are a blessing, if you can get one. And we were lucky to get (Jimmy) Neesham, Cottrell and (Chris) Jordan. Obviously, the choice or the money that we had to spend was more on the four foreign players," said the spin great.
Maxwell spent four years at Kings XI Punjab from 2014 to 2017 before he was bought by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 9 crore for the 2018 season, while he opted out of last season's IPL.
On buying young pacer Ishan Porel for his base price of Rs 20 lakh, Kumble said: "The idea was to have an Indian fast bowler. Ishan has done really well in domestic cricket. He is someone who we had identified and he is I think a good backup for Mohammad Shami both come from the same Ranji team (Bengal)."
In the middle of the auction, KXIP also announced K L Rahul as their skipper for the 2020 edition.
"I think we have seen one of the best captains in Indian cricket being a wicketkeeper and batsman (Mahendra Singh Dhoni). I think we also have Nicholas Pooran in the team so yes I mean still a few months before we sit down and identify who is going to keep wickets," he said referring to the wicketkeeping options, Rahul and Pooran.
