Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik has labelled Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins as "world-class" and said that the addition of the number one Test bowler will bolster the balance of the side. The IPL 2020 will be played from September 19-November 10 in the UAE across three venues --Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
In the players' auction which was held in December last year, Cummins became the most expensive foreign player as he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping price of INR 15.5 crore.
"We wanted somebody who is probably world-class and there is no one better than Pat Cummins in the world right now, he is the best bowler in the world, it is an absolute privilege to have him on board," Dinesh Karthik said in a video posted on the official website of IPL.
"The little conversations I have had with him shows that he is a gem of a guy and this matters a lot to me. He will come into the team and impart knowledge to the younger guys and this will hold everyone in good stead," he added.
All eight IPL franchises have reached UAE for taking part in the upcoming tournament.
All players and team personnel are required to undergo a six-day quarantine period after landing in the UAE and everyone needs to be tested for Covid-19 thrice.
Once, they all test negative for Covid-19, the players can start training in the UAE with their team-mates.
The final match of the 2020 edition is scheduled to be played on a weekday, i.e. Tuesday, for the first time in the history of the T20 tournament.
This time, both the afternoon and evening matches will be played half-an-hour earlier than usual.