New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Shane Watson has hailed Australia’s seam bowling all-rounder Cameron Green as a ‘world-class cricketer’ who, in his view, will only get better with time.

Green emerged as the headline signing of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi, as three-time champions KKR secured him for a record-breaking Rs 25.20 crore. It made Green the most expensive overseas player in IPL history and the third-costliest buy in all after India internationals Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer.

“I’m going to initially talk from my selfish point of view, okay? I’ve always been a massive fan of Cameron Green. I’m an all-rounder at heart, so I know what it takes to push the limits to be the best all-rounder that you possibly can be. And I’ve always absolutely loved everything about Cameron Green – the way he goes about his skill set as a batter, and his incredible skill set as a bowler as well.

“He’s got incredible height, he’s got incredible skill, and I’ve been wanting to have a chance to be able to work with him really closely. I’ve had a number of conversations with him over the years, to be able to just help him wherever he needs it. But I haven’t had a chance to work with him in a team and help him on his journey to be the very best that he possibly can be.

“Now, because of KKR, I get a chance to be able to work with him and pass on my knowledge that I was so fortunate to be able to gain throughout my playing days, playing with so many incredible players,” said Watson in a video posted by the franchise on their YouTube channel on Sunday.

In the run-up to the auction, there was chatter on who between KKR and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would get Green, and the former prevailed. Watson also said Green will further grow as an all-round T20 player by being in the KKR set-up.

“From a KKR perspective, to be able to have someone who can bat in the top three (he has scored IPL hundreds in those positions) or if needed, he also can bat at six and seven, and power hit – he’s an incredible power hitter. That makes him incredibly versatile. He is also a world-class fast bowler.

“He’s tall, he gets bounce, and he’s also got more to be able to grow from a bowling perspective. He’s got Dwayne Bravo and also Andre Russell to work with, along with me, to develop his T20 bowling skills. He’s a super nice guy, he’s a great team man, so look, you can see why the bids went up so high for him.

“We were adamant to be able to get him, because we knew the calibre of cricketer he is, and he’s a young guy too. He’s 26, so he’s got a lot of years of IPL cricket left in him. I’m so stoked to be able to have a chance to work with him; we’ve certainly got a world-class cricketer who is only, in my opinion, going to get better with time,” he added.

KKR also got the services of New Zealand opener Finn Allen for a base price of Rs 2 crore, and Watson explained the rationale behind getting him into the squad. “Finn Allen is really starting to realise just how good he is. His skill sets are unique and rare. I worked with him for three years at the San Francisco Unicorns (in Major League Cricket, USA), and I believe he hasn’t reached his ceiling yet.

“He’s nowhere near reaching his ceiling, and he’s already done some pretty spectacular things on the cricket field so far. I was pretty vocal about how good he was and how big a pick he could be for us, because in the IPL, he’s been an unknown entity. He hasn’t played much, even though he was at RCB for a couple of seasons.

“But my gosh, knowing he will be batting at Eden Gardens, and the immense power that he’s got and his ability to be able to play all different types of bowling as well… He’s not just a flat track bully that stands there when the ball’s not moving and smashes him.

“He can take down the best bowlers in the world and has done that throughout his career. I’m thrilled to be working with him again and continuing to support him on his journey. I know the rest of the leadership group at KKR are feeling the same way as well, knowing the incredible skill that Finn’s got,” he concluded.

–IANS

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