Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Vaibhav Arora said he is looking to sharpen his skills ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League season and make the most of working with new bowling coach Tim Southee.
Arora, 28, who joined the franchise in 2023, has taken 36 wickets in 32 IPL matches and was part of KKR’s title-winning campaign in 2024, picking up 11 wickets in 10 games.
“Overall, the preparation is solid. We’re playing practice matches and honing our variations in the nets,” Arora said in a team release.
Vaibhav Arora The Telegraph Online
Southee, a former New Zealand captain who has taken more than 700 international wickets and played for KKR between 2021 and 2023, has joined the side as bowling coach this season.
“Tim Southee is a legend with a lot of experience. I learned from him earlier and now I’ll get more time to work with him and improve my skills,” Arora said.
The right-arm seamer said he has been working on expanding his variations, especially given conditions at Eden Gardens, where swing is limited after the initial overs.
“As a bowler, you have to adapt. Variations become important once the ball stops swinging,” he said.
Arora added that execution of yorkers, pace on hard lengths and the use of slower deliveries would be key in T20 cricket.
“Our focus is to be mentally and physically ready for the next phase of training in Kolkata,” he said.