Brendon McCullum believes Gujarat Lions captain Suresh Raina has the potential to be a fantastic leader. The former New Zealand skipper is impressed by the manner in which Raina handled some tough situations during the Lions’ two victories.
In the first match they fought back to restrict Kings XI Punjab to 161-6 after they had scored 101 in the 12th over.
In the second game too they pulled things back after Rising Pune Supergiants had crossed the 100- mark in the 12th over on Thursday.
Pune could only muster 163-5 in 20 overs before McCullum’s 31-ball 49 and his 85-run partnership with Aaron Finch (50 off 36) balls set up a seven-wicket victory.
“I think in these first two games, his captaincy has been outstanding,” McCullum told iplt20.com. “In both games, we got off to a rough start with the ball, but he has remained calm, composed under pressure and made sound decisions.
“He has been able to motivate the team when the game is on the line and it is not an easy skill to do. His leadership includes other leaders as well, it works well with the coach and he is always trying to create an environment and culture for the group. He is new to captaincy, but I think he has a massive future.”
The Lions are early leaders with two wins but face a tough test on Saturday night when they face Mumbai Indians.
The defending champions bounced back from their opening defeat to Pune with a six-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday and will be aiming to extend that winning run on their home turf, the Wankhede Stadium.
Mumbai suffered a blow when Lendl Simmons, their leading run-getter last season (540 runs), was ruled out of the tournament with a recurring lower back injury. The West Indies batsman has been replaced by New Zealand opener Martin Guptill.
