The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) put first point on the board in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 but it would feel like a point won rather than a point lost, against a very good Punjab Kings (PBKS) side. On Monday, as KKR and PBKS squared off at the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata, the hosts found themselves in a spot of bother after losing two batters cheaply. The likes of Finn Allen and Cameron Green – two of the biggest overseas stars in the roster – departed for just 6 and 4 respectively. Before Punjab bowlers could put more pressure on the Kolkata batters, rain intervened, and the match had to be called off.
Though points were split between the two teams, experts had seen enough to criticise Cameron Green, especially considering the price tag of Rs 25.20 crore for which he was bought.
“I’m against talking about the money because the money is something that just happens. These guys don’t earn as much money as some of the other sportsmen around the world. But obviously, a lot of people like to talk about what I like to talk about, which is cricketing ability. And whether or not you’re good enough to be in a position of power and batting a 3 in an IPL team, you have to be good enough to be able to perform at that level,” former England Kevin Pietersen said on JioHotstar.
“And I don’t think that he’s good enough to bat at number 3. He’s not bowling, so you have a look at what he has done. Yes, I’ve seen his, he got a 100 in Mumbai a couple of years ago. I’ve not seen enough of Cam Green to warrant batting a 3 here and taking on that responsibility. He’s a middle-order batter who bowls a bit, and that’s what he does,” he added.
Former India batter Sanjay Bangar, who has also worked with a few IPL franchises in the past, feels Green doesn’t fit into the No. 3 role that KKR are trying to push him into. For him, Green is a middle-order batter who can bowl a little bit. In fact, Bangar feels Rovman Powell is a bigger specialist in the T20 format than Green.
“You have to think of the specialists. If you think of Rachin Ravindra and Cameron Green, they are not necessarily proven T20 players, and when you are picking overseas players, they have to be specialists because there are only four spots available. So, if you look at who is the ideal player, if Cameron Green is not bowling, then he doesn’t fit into that, you know, just a batsman category as far as an overseas batter is concerned,” said Bangar.
“So, you might as well think of Rovman Powell, who is a proven T20 specialist who bats and does a very specialised job. So, I like Powell for the fact that he is a specialist, does a role, and he is a proven commodity rather than hoping that someone would come good,” he added.
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