IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bag David Hussey and Kyle Mills’ services

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have roped in David Hussey and Kyle Mills in their setup for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Even as Hussey, also a retired Australian cricketer, will be joining as the chief mentor, Mills, the former New Zealand fast bowler, will serve as the bowling coach. Hussey was associated with KKR and made his IPL debut for them in 2008.

In 64 IPL games, Hussey notched 1,322 runs at 26.98 with five half-centuries to his name. Mills, on the other hand, despite being a prolific Black Caps’ bowler, didn’t get a chance to take the field in the cash-rich league after being a part of the tournament for Mumbai Indians back in 2009.

McCullum, Mills and Hussey- a decent combo for KKR

Mills and Hussey will be joining head coach Brendon McCullum, who was brought into KKR’s scheme of things a couple of months ago. Hussey was a part of the inaugural IPL match where McCullum scored the 73-ball 158 versus Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

“It’s great to welcome David Hussey and Kyle Mills to the Knight Riders Family. They bring a wealth of experience as professionals, and are terrific individuals. We are confident that their contribution as part of the think tank of KKR, and to the KKR Academy, will be invaluable,” Venky Mysore, the CEO and MD of the Knights was quoted as saying in a media statement.

The Knight Riders have won a couple of championships in 2012 and 2014, but the last season didn’t turn out to be a happy outing for them. The team, captained by Dinesh Karthik, started with some impressive victories. However, their campaign fell apart owing to a string of defeats in the middle.

Apart from Andre Russell, no other KKR player could stand up for the Men in Gold and Purple on a more consistent basis. Seniors like Robin Uthappa couldn’t quite get going and that didn’t help the Knight’s cause either. Even Karthik came under fire for not being able to deliver the goods for KKR.

The likes of Carlos Brathwaite and Lockie Ferguson for whom the franchise used up huge amounts, couldn’t live up the expectations. The auction for the next edition is scheduled to take place on December 19 in Kolkata and the Knight Riders have a lot of homework to do to turn their fortunes.

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