Ness Wadia, the co-owner of of IPL franchise Punjab Kings is hoping that the newly appointed skipper Shikhar Dhawan in combination with Trevor Bayliss can finally end their wait for the elusive IPL trophy.
It was way back in 2014 that Punjab Kings made their way into the final of the league. Never before and never after they have made it this far.
"The expectation from them is to take us to the top four and then hopefully win the Cup. Dhawan and Trevor's rich experience and knowledge should help us. It is a good combination. Trevor comes with a good track record with England and in the IPL. With all their experience combined, we are hoping it will culminate into results that Punjab needs and deserve," said Wadia.
Dhawan has replaced Mayank Agarwal as captain while Bayliss, who coached England to the 2019 World Cup title and KKR to two IPL titles, has replaced Anil Kumble. The co-owner said the team has to find a way to be more consistent.
"It is not frustrating (the team's below-par performances). It is a lot of learning. We have been millimetres away in the past and it involves a little bit of luck as well and that has not gone our way in recent times. Consistency plays a big role. We surely need to be more consistent."
Ahead of the player retention deadline on November 15, Wadia added: "We will try and keep the core group the same as much as possible. We have to make sure we do the correct analysis of what is required to take the team forward. It is a work in progress."
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He also said the franchise is evaluating its participation in the Women's IPL, the first edition of which will be held in March. "Women's cricket has done phenomenally well and a good example of that is pay parity (that BCCI introduced recently). WIPL will grow from strength to strength and we are evaluating to be a part of it," he added.
Shikhar Dhawan will next be in action vs New Zealand in a 3-match ODI series, where he'll assume captaincy duties.
(Inputs PTI)
