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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Updated 13:59 IST, January 31st 2020