Exclusive | No reason why Kolkata Knight Riders cannot win the IPL this year, says Sam Billings

England international Sam Billings was picked quite late by Kolkata Knight Riders in the mega auction ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 but he has already proven himself as a valuable asset for the franchise.

Billings has been showing glimpses of form with the bat in the last couple of games and his sharp reflexes behind the stumps has added a lot of value to his regular selection.

In an exclusive interview with WION, Billings opened up about his impressions of the KKR franchise this season and his experience of playing under newly appointed skipper Shreyas Iyer.

“I have had the pleasure of playing with Shreyas for quite a few years now starting with Delhi. His captaincy style is extremely cool, calm and collected. He also has a lot of experience considering his age. So, he has done a fantastic job and I am sure he will continue to grow,” he said.

“As a team, we have all bases covered. There is no reason why we cannot win the IPL this year.”

Billings started the season as a specialist middle order batsman for KKR with Sheldon Jackson keeping wickets. But the change in team composition meant that KKR went with an extra fast bowling option and that meant that Billings had to take over the wicket-keeping role for the team.

“I have kind of gotten used to both keeping wickets and being an outfield player. I have had to field a lot for England. I like fielding on the ground but I also like to keep wickets specially against mystery spinners like Varun and Narine,” Billings explained when asked about his preferred role.

“It is very hard to keep against them. But it takes a bit of practice and concentration but I think that makes it even more enjoyable as you are feeling the game every single ball,” he further explained.

Billings has been contributing regularly with his bat for KKR and he is currently the second top scorer in the competition for his team. The England cricketer has been stitching together valuable partnerships in the middle overs and he was on the other end of the crease as West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell slammed 70 off just 31 deliveries to guide KKR to victory over Punjab Kings.

Billings was all praise for Russell and said that any team will love to have a cricketer in their ranks.

“Any team loves to have Andre Russell. The power that he has is absolutely phenomenal and he can win a game on his own. I would never complain about having Russell in my team,” he concluded.