Pumped up Johnson ready to fire

 

© BCCI

Since his retirement from international cricket in November 2015, Mitchell Johnsonhas played only one competitive match - a club game in Perth. Coming into theIndian Premier League (IPL) 2016, he lacks a match environment, a stage on which he hasn't bowled a lot in the last few months. However, going into his first high-quality game since retirement, his report card from the nets read well. Apart from his personal take of feeling fresh and hungry, his captain too is delighted at the way with which he has managed to trouble some batsmen. 

David Miller, Kings XI Punjab's skipper, has already given his verdict and is happy with how the Australian pacer is swinging the ball. A 'couple of swollen toes in the nets' courtesy Johnson has only pleased him further.

"I'm genuinely pumped to get back onto the field, and even training with my teammates this week gave me a rush I haven't felt in a while," Johnson wrote in his column for Fox Sports. "The good sign for me is I'm incredibly excited for the IPL to get underway now. That's certainly not how I was feeling this time last year when I was really flat and physically exhausted after a long summer that included a World Cup."

Johnson called it quits after suffering a few niggles and a loss of form, a period which saw Mitchell Starc take over the Australian lead pacer's role. However, having retired, Johnson joined a long list of players who continue to play in the IPL following international retirement. The questions were obvious - if the body is fit to play such high-intensity contests, is money the only reason for players to choose club cricket over representing the country? 

Johnson, however, brushed aside such doubts and said that money cannot be a motivating factor for him to continue playing. "A lot of people think the IPL is all about money but I can guarantee you it isn't," he pointed out. "I would find it really hard to be motivated if I was just playing for money - you have to actually have your heart in it. I know I do, and I can't wait to pull on that Kings XI uniform again."

Kings XI Punjab are set to begin their IPL 2016 campaign against Gujarat Lions at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali on Monday (April 11). His experience will prove invaluable in a side that has numerous promising young Indian pacers. With Kyle Abbott being the only other foreign pacer in the squad, Johnson will have to play a key role if Kings XI Punjab have to better their form in 2014 (finalists) and go a step further to win their maiden IPL title.