New Delhi, July 27 (UNI) Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise Barbados Royals on Wednesday announced the appointment of South African batter David Miller as captain for the 2022 season of the Caribbean league.
Shouldering the added responsibility, the 32-year-old will be working closely with Head Coach Trevor Penney and Royals' Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara, with whom he has played under during his time at the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, according to a statement issued.
Having previously represented Barbados' partner franchise Rajasthan Royals in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the swashbuckling finisher has close ties with the Royals and is delighted to be returning to one of their franchises as a leader of the group.
"During my time at the Royals in the IPL, I always felt very valued and have been able to establish a deep connection with the team. It is an exciting time for me to come to the Barbados Royals, and a privilege to have been appointed as the Captain. It is a team that has an abundance of young and experienced talent from the Caribbean and I am looking forward to working with the entire group to get down to achieving our objectives for the 2022 season," stated an elated David Miller, who recently also helped his new IPL franchise Gujarat Titans lift the trophy.
Miller returns to the CPL after a hiatus of three seasons, having last represented Jamaica Tallawahs in 2018 and St Lucia Zouks in 2016. The middle-order batter has accumulated 332 runs in 15 innings in the CPL, at a strike rate of over 146. In the 2022 season of the IPL, Miller was in stunning form, scoring 481 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 142.73.
Welcoming the T20 specialist as the Captain of the Barbados Royals, Head Coach Trevor Penney expressed his delight. "Having worked with David (Miller) before at the Rajasthan Royals, we knew he has a cricketing brain which not only reads situations very well on the field, but is also very passionately involved off the field. He is someone who helps in creating a perfect environment for his teammates to excel in, and that is what we are expecting out of him here at Barbados, where he will be leading the franchise. He has shown tremendous experience and guile in the last few months, and drove his team to IPL glory...unfortunately beating us in the final! We are all delighted to have signed him and look forward to working with him during the season."
"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Jason (Holder) for his contribution to the team as the captain, and for agreeing to our decision of having a new leader for the team. He is one of the pillars of this Barbados side and will continue to remain so going forward," added Penney.
The Barbados Royals will go into the season brimming with confidence, having retained a strong West Indian core that includes the likes of Jason Holder, Oshane Thomas, Obed McCoy, Kyle Mayers, Hayden Walsh, Devon Thomas, and Nyeem Young, which will be complemented by experienced T20 specialists like Quinton de Kock, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Azam Khan, Corbin Bosch and David Miller, with the explosive South African leading the pack, the statement added.
With Miller only arriving for the T20 season, Barbados Royals have also announced their captain for the inaugural edition of THE 6IXTY tournament which occurs beforehand. West Indian all-rounder and Barbados local Kyle Mayers will lead the Royals in the new innovation-driven tournament. The 29-year-old Barbados all-rounder has become pivotal for the West Indies in recent times, serving some memorable displays across formats, contributing with both bat and ball. Mayers has been an important member of the Royals’ setup since 2020, being an integral part of the central core, and is now ready to step into the leadership role for this new format for the two-time CPL champions.
THE 6IXTY is Cricket West Indies and the Caribbean Premier League’s new 60-ball tournament featuring some of the top cricketers from around the world. The tournament will run from August 24 to 28th and will immediately be followed by the Caribbean Premier League which will be played from August 30 to September 30,2022.
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