Just enjoying the game!

20 April, 2009 | KXIP NEWS SERVICE

From Ludhiana to Cape Town, Karan Goel – one half of the KXIP opening pair has certainly come a long way. Karan’s tryst with the shortest version of the Gentleman’s game began on April 3, 2007 when he made his Twenty20 (T20) debut for Punjab on April 3, 2007 against Haryana, in a match played at Delhi.

In the ten T20 matches that Karan played before the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) season, he made 313 runs, including three half-centuries, at a strike rate of 107.93, with his best score being 82. Also, with the ball, he took six wickets in the 31 deliveries that he bowled and maintained an economy rate of 4.45.

Seeing his success in the twenty20 format Kings XI Punjab signed Karan Goel for the IPL season, and he made his IPL debut on April 19, 2008 against the Chennai Super Kings. He ended the season with 76 runs in 7 matches at an average of 12.66 and strike rate of 97.43!

Regarding his selection the young Goel said, “The league will provide us with good exposure. Playing with and against experienced players who have played in Test and international matches will boost our confidence. I am expecting to learn a lot” His latest knock of 38 off 21 balls in the second game of Season 2 for the IPL surpassed his earlier best of 26 off 21 balls against Rajasthan at Jaipur on April 21, 2008!

Karan’s confidence on field and consistent success in the Twenty20 format makes him a player to reckon with this season. But aside from making waves in international cricket, Goel says it’s all just about ‘enjoying the game’ for him!

 KXIP News Service had a one-one chat with Karan. Check out the video interview here