KXIP's Sheldon Cottrell calls KL Rahul 'gentleman', promises more 'salutes' in IPL 2020

West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell is all set to take field for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season. The Jamaican-born cricketer recently stated in an interview that he has some “goals” for the much-awaited T20 event and expressed his excitement of playing alongside maverick Indian batsman KL Rahul. Sheldon Cottrell also spoke about the mandatory biosecurity measures every cricketer needs to follow in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for everybody’s safety.

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Sheldon Cottrell on playing alongside KL Rahul for KXIP

In a recent interview with Sportstar, Sheldon Cottrell said that he is looking forward to being captained by KL Rahul at KXIP. He admitted to meeting the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman on a couple of occasions before and described him as a “wonderful guy”. The 30-year-old also described KL Rahul as a “gentleman of the game”. Apart from his KXIP skipper, Sheldon Cottrell is also looking forward to joining forces with his fellow quick Mohammad Shami.

Sheldon Cottrell spoke about some of the goals he has set for himself for the upcoming IPL 2020 season. The cricketer, who is known for his trademark ‘march and salute’ celebrations, jokingly said that he has “plenty of salutes” in store for his KXIP fans.

The West Indies pacer said that the IPL 2020 is great news for all fans and cricketers and said that he will be following every ‘social distancing’ guideline while playing for the safety of his family. In wake of the ongoing coronavirus-global pandemic, Sheldon Cottrell said that players have been already informed of the biosecurity measures, which will be put forward in place for everybody to follow in the desert country.

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IPL 2020: Sheldon Cottrell in KXIP

During the IPL 2020 auction, Sheldon Cottrell was roped in by the KXIP franchise for ₹8.5 crore (US$1.2 million). He became the fourth most expensive purchase of the bidding event after the likes of Pat Cummins, Cottrell’s KXIP teammate Glenn Maxwell and Chris Morris.

IPL 2020: When will IPL start?

To answer the ‘When will IPL start?’ query, the IPL Governing Council recently came up with a launch of the tournament. Through a teleconference meeting on Sunday, August 2, the governing council confirmed that IPL 2020 will be played between September 19 and November 10 in the UAE. 

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Image credits: Official Twitter accounts of KXIP and ICC