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Published 13:59 IST, January 31st 2020

IPL 2020: Tom Banton confirms KKR presence after rejecting Michael Vaughan's advice

Tom Banton broke his silence and confirmed his participation for Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming IPL 2020 after Michael Vaughan's earlier comments.

Reported by: Aakash Saini
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Quite recently, former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan created quite a stir by advising young Tom Banton to skip the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Vaughan wanted the youngster to play in County Championship instead in order to bolster up his chances of claiming a spot in England’s Test side. Michael Vaughan’s opinion did not seem to sit well with many fans of Tom Banton as the former England captain was trolled online for his comments.

Also Read | IPL: Michael Vaughan Sarcastically Asked By Twitterati To Pay Tom Banton's KKR Salary

IPL 2020: Tom Banton breaks his silence on KKR offer

While speaking to reporters in a media interaction, Tom Banton confirmed his participation in the upcoming IPL 2020. He said that while growing up, playing in IPL was something that he always wanted to do. He added that playing Test cricket for England is still on his radar and will now have to wait and see how his performances go.

Also Read | IPL 2020: Michael Vaughan Urges KKR Star Tom Banton To Abandon ₹1 Crore Contract

The explosive batsman was at his dynamic best for Brisbane Heat in their recently concluded campaign in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) season. The right-hander scored 223 runs in seven innings at a strike-rate of 176.98. He clubbed three half-centuries, which included a 16-ball 50 against Melbourne Stars.

Also Read | IPL 2020: CSK And MI Show Interest In Somerset Young Star Tom Banton

IPL 2020: Tom Banton becomes a ‘Knight’ in KKR

Tom Banton was purchased by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the recently-concluded IPL 2020 auction. The franchise acquired the young English batsman at his base price of ₹1 crore. He will play alongside the likes of other foreign imports like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell and Indian superstars like Dinesh Karthik and Kuldeep Yadav.

Also Read | Pravin Tambe Banned From Playing For KKR In IPL 2020 After Abu Dhabi T10 Outing: Reports

Updated 13:59 IST, January 31st 2020