KL Rahul will be playing as a captain for the first time in his IPL career in the upcoming edition of the tournament. Rahul will be leading Kings XI Punjab, becoming their new captain after Ravichandran Ashwin was bought by Delhi Capitals last year.
Kings XI Punjab bears a new look in management, with India's bowling legend Anil Kumble as the head coach of the side.
Rahul, who is one of the mainstays of the Indian limited-overs setup, will be attracting many eyeballs as he takes on a new role in the upcoming season. Former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra has said that Rahul could be the next in line as captain after Virat Kohli steps down.
“I have hope that his captaincy will be good,” Chopra said in a video uploaded on his Facebook page. “Actually we will get an idea of his captaincy, how he runs the game, what strategies he uses. If we see Kohli and Rohit, they are of the same age bracket and at one time you may feel that they are not captain material anymore.”
“As they say, a time comes when you have to pass on the baton like MS Dhoni did to Kohli and Kohli will also have to do to someone at some point. When he does that, it is possible that Rahul will be next in line."
Chopra further said that Rahul will prove to be a "good captain."
“So this IPL will show us how KL Rahul will be like a captain but I feel, the manner in which I have seen him play and his temperament, I feel he will be a good captain,” Chopra signed off.
KXIP is one of the three sides which are yet to lift the IPL trophy in their history -- the others being Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Banglaore. KXIP will begin their campaign in the upcoming edition against Delhi Capitals on September 20.I
