India cricketer KL Rahul on Tuesday (June 23) said that he was excited to play in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) as he was chosen to lead IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.

The 13th edition of the cash-rich tournament was scheduled to begin on March 29 but the BCCI was forced to postpone it indefinitely due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

The BCCI is now planning to host the tournament if the ICC decides to cancel the T20 World Cup, currently scheduled to be played in Australia in October.

Rahul was chosen as captain of KXIP after Ravichandran Ashwin, who led the team in 2018 and 2019, was traded to Delhi Capitals prior to the season.

“I actually have missed the IPL a lot. It was going to be a big season for me captaining the team and I felt like we have got some really really exciting players in the line-up,” Rahul told teammate Mayank Agarwal during the show `Open Nets with Mayank` which was uploaded on IPL`s official website.

“I was really looking forward to playing with Chris and you and Maxi and few other guys coming in,” he added.

Explosive West Indies opener Chris Gayle was also part of the video chat and he said this was the longest he has been at home.

“I am missing cricket as a whole to be honest. This is the longest I have ever been home. Normally, I would be away playing for some franchise,” Gayle said.

“But for me this is the longest I have spent at home. It is life and this is just part of nature and we have to just accept it. Life goes on you know… can`t complain much,” he added.