One of the biggest questions Kings XI Punjab fans had, finally found an answer recently. The team’s Director of Cricket Operations and Mentor, Virender Sehwag aka Viru-paaji announced Spin King Ashwin as the new captain of the team. Reactions on social media were divided, but the Thalaiva of Spin found overwhelming support from the Kings’ Army as well as players, who knew Ashwin was the proverbial ‘idea whose time has come’ and could well take them all the way this VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Not surprised @lionsdenkxip have gone in for @ashwinravi99 as their captain. Top cricketer, sharp cricketing mind, expresses himself well, never afraid to try new things - critical qualities for a good captain. Congrats on being rewarded for what you are Ashwin 😊
— RK (@RK_sports) February 26, 2018
Ashwin received a number of congratulatory messages and good wishes from KXIP fans who couldn’t wait to see him lead the Lions this season.
All the best bro @ashwinravi99 For the captaining of @lionsdenkxip 💪💪
— Mathan Kumar (@Mathanmahe777) February 27, 2018
The praise for Ashwin’s aggression on the field and his attacking instincts dominated tweets, as many were waiting in anticipation to see what the spinner had in store in his maiden IPL captaincy stint.
Think @ashwinravi99 is an excellent choice as captain of @lionsdenkxip. Expecting something 'different' in his captaincy style.
— Saurabh Malhotra (@MalhotraSaurabh) February 26, 2018
Even on Facebook, the announcement of Ashwin as KXIP’s new captain opened the doors for a number of comments and suggestions. Many fans even went beyond just giving their good wishes and dug up a number of statistics and key events which pointed to why the decision to make Ashwin the captain is a good one for the Punjabi Lions. Aren’t we glad we have such amazing fans!
Ashwin had earlier expressed confidence in his abilities to bring the best out of the big hitters in the KXIP team, and the Kings’ Army couldn’t agree more.
While it remains to be seen what the future holds for the wily tweaker from the South, he certainly seems to be making the right moves to win over the KXIP fans.