IPL 9: Captaincy no pressure but opportunity, says KXIP skipper David Miller

Chandigarh, Apr 6: South Africa's explosive batsman David Miller, who will lead the Kings XI Punjab in this edition of the IPL, feels that captaincy has not brought any added pressure on him.

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"Responsibility changes a bit as captain, but I am really looking forward to it," Miller said.

"No pressure, to be honest. I see it as an opportunity. We have changed the squad a little bit this year, couple of new additions, but most of the squad stays the same. I really believe we can win the competition this year. The fact that we haven't won it, doesn't add any more pressure. It's a great opportunity for the guys to step up," he added.

The 26-year-old said he is looking forward to the captaincy challenge.

"There are guys in the team who play a lot of international cricket. I am looking forward to rubbing shoulders with them. This is my first time as captain, but I am really looking forward to the challenge and what lies ahead," Miller said at a news conference here in the presence of KXIP mentor Virender Sehwag, head coach Sanjay Bangar and team's Chief Executive Officer Fraser Castellino.

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KXIP will take on the new IPL franchise -- Gujarat Lions -- in their opening match at their home ground in Mohali on April 11.

"I am looking forward to the first game, we will take it from there. See how it goes. There are going to be challenges, ups and downs," said Miller.

KXIP batting department comprises the likes of Shaun Marsh, Manan Vohra, Murali Vijay, Marcus Stoinis, Armaan Jaffer, besides Miller while the KXIP bowling consists of Sandeep Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Anureet Singh, Kyle Abbott, Mohit Sharma, K C Cariappa and Pradeep Sahu.

Asked what according to him are the core strengths of the team that set it apart from others, Miller said, "That is a difficult question because lot of teams are really strong, but I believe we are a well-balanced side. We have some really world class bowlers, some really good youngsters, our batting line up is looking really strong.

"We have to make sure that whatever we do we do it as best as we can. We are playing to win, we don't want to disappoint, we want to play best we can, as long as we do that and we have our plans in place, we can come off as winners," he said.

On the playing conditions, Miller said, "As foreign players, we have been fortunate to play in the Indian conditions. I feel fairly confident in Indian conditions, in terms of what works and what doesn't work. IPL is a huge platform for everyone."

PTI