With the upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) set to begin, the mood in the Punjab Kings camp seems to be a cheerful one. The franchise posted a video on social media, where Sarfaraz Khan can be seen mimicking Darren Sammy's playing style in front of cricketers from West Indies, and he also receives Chris Gayle's approval. The Indian cricketer's acting was so funny that it left his audience in splits, with Gayle stating, "Yeah, that's Sammy. That's Sammy for real!".
Here is the video:
IPL 2021 is scheduled to begin from April 9, with defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) set to face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the season opener.
The Punjab-based team will play their first match on April 12, when they face Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Punjab Kings had a bittersweet campaign during the 2020 season, at the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Missing out on a playoff spot, they finished at sixth position during the league phase, with six wins and eight defeats.
Despite an erratic collective display, Punjab Captain KL Rahul won the Orange Cap, scoring 670 runs in 14 games. He also registered a century, and five half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami was their leading wicket-taker, with 20 dismissals. He was eighth in the Purple Cap race.
With an aim to challenge for playoffs in IPL 2021, Punjab Kings roped in Australian pacer Jhye Richardson for Rs 14 crore during the player auction. Riley Meredith was bought for Rs 8 crore.
Meanwhile, they also spent Rs 5.25 crore on Shahrukh Khan. The other new players in the team are Dawid Malan, Moises Henriques and Fabian Allen.