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Bailey ready for spin-friendly IPL pitches

Kings XI Punjab captain says his team will be “hunted” after a successful 2014 campaign

George Bailey has revealed he used his time on the sidelines during the World Cup to better his spin-playing capabilities.

The Kings XI Punjab skipper said with the Indian Premier League in mind, he not only looked at getting into the Twenty20 mode but also worked to improve his batting against spinners. 

Team preview: Kings XI Punjab

“There were a few things I worked specifically on with Darren Lehmann,” Bailey told PTI.

“I knew that coming across to India, I would be playing lot of spin bowling in this format. So besides fine-tuning my T20 game, the focus was on tackling quality spinners.”

Image Id: ~/media/E4710C697017499DA2D282D515EF3787

George Bailey chats to Australia coach Darren Lehmann // Getty Images 

Having led Kings XI Punjab to the 2014 IPL final where they finished runners-up, Bailey said he knew expectations of his side would be immense.

He said Punjab would be one of the IPL’s “hunted teams” as a result of their 2014 success.

“The big change this season will be about meeting the standards we set last year,” Bailey said.

“In our first year, we surprised a lot of other teams. This year, we are one of the hunted teams.

“So it will be about handling our own expectations. As long as we are able to play what we are capable of, I think we can have some more success.”

Bailey said while it was good to have the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson and David Miller in good form and raring to go, the performances of the Indian domestic players would also be crucial.

Image Id: ~/media/FC3B35F92B8A44FAAE4ED7EABC96D7D1Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson // Getty Images

“Going into IPL, the major thing is that everyone has been playing a lot of cricket. It looks like everyone is in pretty good form.

“The regular guys will no doubt be key again. But what was encouraging last year was the development of some of the Indian guys like Manan Vohra, Akshar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha and Rishi Dhawan.

“That really complemented the star power we have.”

Bailey, who earlier said he did not see himself getting another shot at Australia’s ODI captaincy, said it would be interesting to go up against his World Cup-winning teammates in the IPL. 

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“We obviously enjoyed the success but most of the guys have shifted their focus to IPL and we will be coming across each other as opponents now.”

Australians in the 2015 IPL

  • Chennai Super Kings: Mike Hussey, Andrew Tye
  • Delhi Daredevils: Nathan Coulter-Nile, Gurinder Sandhu, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis
  • Kings XI Punjab: George Bailey, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh
  • Kolkata Knight Riders:Pat Cummins, Brad Hogg
  • Mumbai Indians: Josh Hazlewood, Aaron Finch, Aiden Blizzard
  • Rajasthan Royals: Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Steve Smith, Ben Cutting
  • Royal Challengers Bangalore: Mitchell Starc, Nic Maddinson, Sean Abbott
  • Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Moises Henriques