Am right up there with the best in IPL, KXIP captain Ravichandran Ashwin

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) captain Ravichandran Ashwin feels he has done fairly well in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, in the list of best bowlers for the 2019 season of the tournament, there are at least four spinners who are ahead of the ace Indian bowler. The off-spinner has picked 14 wickets in 12 matches so far at an average of 24 plus while the spinner with the best figures is  Chennai Super Kings’ Imran Tahir who has 21 scalps from 13 games at an average of below 15.

The 32-year-old spinner, who has been in the news this IPL more for his Mankading act than the exploits with the ball, has picked 124 wickets in 137 games in the T20 tournament he has been playing since 2009. The cricketer is India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests at the moment but has lost his place in the limited-overs side following the rise of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. But given the fact that the Tamil Nadu spinner is a fierce competitor, he is not ready to let things go.

Have done a fairly good job

“Once I have become an expert and I am paid for it, I would do that job (assess other spinners). But right now, I would like to think that I am right up there and I have been for a long time now. It’s my 11th season of the IPL, so I would like to think I have done a fairly good job. I have never shied away from competing with anyone. I am right on top of the pile. But look, there are going to be people who will be better than you and you will be overtaken at some stage,” Ashwin was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

The off-spinner has impressed with his economy rate which is 7.21. For Tahir and Rashid Khan, the figures are 6.30 and 6.18, respectively.

Ashwin took over as the skipper of the KXIP last year and finished with 10 wickets from 14 games at an average of 41 and economy rate of eight plus. He conceded that bowlers need to be prepared for getting hit in T20 cricket and added that one should remain a fierce competitor which he is.

[interaction id=”5cc87a962ea93c1c050b5d16″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the Indian Premier League, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.