Brad Hodge is likely to open up for the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Indian Premier League (IPL) III. The original openers, Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle will be missed at the early stages of the tournament because of their individual international commitments.
Dave Whatmore, the Riders’ coach said, “We are looking at him [Hodge] as one of the possible opening options. Hodgey is a fine addition to our squad. He looked good at the practice session on Sunday. Along with David Hussey, he has been one of the key players for Victoria in their Twenty20 Big Bash triumph. Also, his performance in this edition of Sheffield Shield has been really good.”
The team management is looking through the options for Hodge’s partner who would open up the team’s batting line-up. Available players include Manoj Tiwary from Bengal, Chirag Pathak from Saurashtra and the Indian batsman Sourav Ganguly. Whatmore further added on the matter, “If Hodgey does well at the top of the order, he will certainly continue playing at that position. I firmly believe that the person who is in form should be persisted with in a particular position.”
At the earlier season of the IPL, the Riders finished sixth in the overall standings and are hoping for a better performance this season. The team opens up the tournament against the defending champions, the Deccan Chargers, on 12th March, 2010 at Mumbai.