IPL 2022: New Zealand pace ace Lockie Ferguson is looking forward to joining up with his franchise the Gujarat Titans as the countdown to the new season begins, with less than 3 weeks to go for the showpiece event. One of the fastest bowlers around, Ferguson had a productive last season with Kolkata Knight Riders, which earned him a whopping Rs 10 Crore contract with the Hardik Pandya led Titans, who will be making their debut in the league. Follow Insidesport.in for all IPL 2022 LIVE updates.
IPL 2022: Lockie Ferguson to join Gujarat Titans camp next week, Hardik Pandya & Co to have camp in Ahmedabad before shifting base to Mumbai
Despite the price tag, Lockie Ferguson is excited at a new opportunity, and is looking forward to joining up with the Gujarat Titans. Speaking at a select media interaction, he said, “Having played four seasons of the IPL, I know how big a competition it is. And how big the support is for each franchise. Whenever there is a new franchise, a new opportunity is created.”
Ferguson however was mindful of the fact that it might take some time for the new team to gel together considering the newish environment. However, he reckons most teams have changed quite a bit since the mega auction, and new team is a new avenue for the local fans.
“People in that area get an opportunity to support that team, which is local to them. All the teams have been spread out in the mega auction. Players have changed quite a lot throughout. So, not only us who have got a new team, but if you look around the competition, it’s going to take some adjusting for some of the teams, having new personnel,” he added.
IPL 2022: Lockie Ferguson to join Gujarat Titans camp next week, Hardik Pandya & Co to have camp in Ahmedabad before shifting base to Mumbai
While Lockie Ferguson was one of the keys to success bowling in the middle, the Kiwi pacer is expectedly unsure about his role for the new franchise.
“I think with KKR, our roles were different because we had fantastic spinners who could bowl in the PowerPlay. That made us use the quicks through the middle. I am not at all saying that the Titans don’t have that by any means. It will be interesting to see what sort of game plan we have,” he said.
“But certainly, coming back into the middle overs, the batters are trying to score at six or seven an over without too much risk. The way that I bowl, it creates a bit of uncertainty and rushes them [batters], so it kind of gave me an exciting licence almost to be aggressive rather than in the PowerPlay and, of course, at the death where I am trying to shut down the batters and trying to get through my overs cheaply.”
However, Ferguson is not phased and believes that the team have a plan for him that laid out in the coming weeks after he lands in India. Ferguson is set to join the Titans preparatory camp next week in Ahmedabad before the team leaves for Mumbai for IPL 2022. The Kiwi ace is likely to have atleast 10 days to spend with his new teammates and revealed that conversations were already in place with captain Hardik Pandya and coach Ashish Nehra.
IPL 2022: Lockie Ferguson to join Gujarat Titans camp next week, Hardik Pandya & Co to have camp in Ahmedabad before shifting base to Mumbai
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