Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Shane Watson said he is exited to work with Cameron Green even if it means accepting his own selfishness.
The ‘Purple And Gold’ brigade spent a record-breaking
Rs 25.20 crore to secure top Australian all-rounder at the 2026 Indain Premier League (IPL) auction.
“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,” Shane Watson said in an interaction with KKR.
“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 be able 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,” Watson added.
Where Will Green Bat?
Divulging what Green’s role may be in the playing XI, Watson hoped that the Aussie star will take a few learnings from Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell.
“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,” Watson said.
“He’s got Dwayne Bravo, and also Andre Russell to work with, along with myself, 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.
Green exceeded his compatriot Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore) to become the most expensive overseas player in an IPL auction. This came after an intense bidding war between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, with the latter ultimately winning.
Green, who has previously played for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has participated in 29 IPL matches, scoring 707 runs and taking 16 wickets.
(With inputs from Agencies)
