The Indian Premier League (IPL), since its inception in 2008 has enjoyed the participation of several quality cricketers from New Zealand.
The IPL started on an explosive note with the help of Brendon McCullum’s blistering 158* against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Also, the likes of Stephen Fleming, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, and Jacob Oram were part of the IPL during its early years.
Continuing the tradition, all-rounder Jimmy Neesham is also set to take part in the thirteenth edition of the IPL, donning the red and silvers of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). Neesham had been a part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the past.
During a recent interaction with a fan, Neesham was asked about his second favourite IPL team. There, he named KKR as his second favourite if KXIP fails to secure the IPL title. Also, Neesham gave an interesting reason for him to choose the Knight Riders.
The Kings XI are yet to clinch an IPL title despite participating in all twelve seasons of the tournament thus far. KKR, on the other hand, won the IPL editions of 2012 and 2014, under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir.
https://twitter.com/virat_forever18/status/1294222856415395843
Umm if @lionsdenkxip don’t win I’d want @KKRiders to because of my mates there 🤙 https://t.co/TR3mspOZ1T
— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) August 14, 2020
Neesham will join the KL Rahul-led side in IPL 2020, scheduled to commence from September 19, until November 10, at UAE. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are slated to host the matches of the tournament.
Barring Neesham, IPL 2020 will see the participation of five other Kiwi internationals, namely Lockie Ferguson (KKR), Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan (Mumbai Indians), and Mitchell Santner (Chennai Super Kings).
Last year, Neesham displayed a lot of character with both bat and ball during the 2019 ODI World Cup final in England. The dynamic left-hander also came out to bat during the famous Super Over.
It was primarily the reason KXIP bought him at INR 50 lakhs in the last auction.
