The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) stated that they are going to retain Virender Sehwag for the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league.
Sehwag earlier had retired from the international game including IPL. It is not sure whether he would return as a player but he is being considered for the role of a mentor.
Sehwag was roped in by the Preity Zinta co-owned franchise in IPL 2014 auction for Rs 3.2 crores. Sehwag did what he was good at -- right at the top of the order -- for KXIP and powered his side to the IPL final last year. The team does not want to let the legend go it seems and wants to continue with their association with Virender Sehwag.
"We have not decided what role he will have for the side but we want to stay associated with him. The talks are on. The mentor's role is possibility," a franchise director was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror in New Delhi on Thursday.
Sehwag recently featured in the Cricket All Stars T20 League. He was donning the Sachin's Blasters jersey where he also went on to score a blistering half-century in the first T20 of the series.
He has also been named as one of the 12 marquee players for Masters Champions League which is going to happen in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2016. All these marquee players will be equally distributed among six teams. The teams have not been announced yet but it may be on its way anytime soon.
Meanwhile, two of the most popular franchises Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will not be featuring in the next two editions of the IPL. Two new teams will replace them for the next two years, and several companies have shown their interest in owning an IPL franchise. The reverse-bidding auction is supposed to take place on 7 December.
