Cape Town Knight Riders are the side to watch out for: Jacques Kallis

The Cape Town Knight Rider’s head coach Jacques Kallis spoke to the media during their launch at Newlands on Monday. Knight Riders had earlier named JP Duminy as their skipper. The Shah Rukh Khan owned cricket team has successfully roped in Chris Gayle for the inaugural edition of the South Africa’s Global T20 League. The Knight Riders have previously participated in the Indian Premier League and Caribbean Premier League.

Former Proteas all-rounder Kallis is known as one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the game of cricket. He has previously played with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, and later went on to mentor the boys in purple. The management is fully aware of Kallis’s stature and therefore they were glad to have him in the setup.

Recipe for a good side

When asked how highly he rates his side’s chances in the competition, Kallis sounded confident, saying that ‘CTKR are the side to watch out for.’

“100% [we want to win it]”, he said exclusively to SA Cricket magazine.”I think all eight teams will be doing that, they are all well balanced. It might take a little while to figure out each team’s strategy and what their strengths and weaknesses are, but I think it’s the sides who are first to figure that out, who will be successful.”

“It’s exciting… the bunch of guys we have,” he continued. “We were lucky to get most of the players we wanted. Along with the staff and JP [Duminy] as captain, we have the recipe for a good side. Hopefully, we can gel together and play some good cricket.”

Making the most of his experience

Kallis has been an integral part of the KKR team, and have witnessed the ups and downs through out. He added that he would like to take all his learnings, going into the African League. “Yes, definitely,” Kallis said when asked if he will replicate some of the same strategies he learned abroad.

“The kind of cricket the Kight Riders are renowned for we will bring to Cape Town, it’s an exciting brand. Every now and then we will try something different, but the people of Cape Town are going to enjoy the brand of cricket we are going to play,” he concluded.