Kings XI Punjab on Friday appointed Kumar Sangakkara as its new captain for DLF IPL 2010. The Sri Lankan player replaces Yuvraj Singh who had led the team for the last two seasons with great efficiency and passion. 

A talented left-handed batsman and a vigilant wicketkeeper, Kumar is currently serving as captain of the Sri Lankan Cricket team. He has been recognised as the driving force behind Sri Lankan team in the past couple of years. His exemplary performances in the last two editions of IPL have made him one of the team favourites.

"I'm privileged to be given the honour and opportunity to lead the team. The team has had a good run under the captaincy of Yuvraj [Singh] and I enjoyed playing under his leadership in the IPL. This is a huge responsibility and I hope I am able to live up to the team's expectations.  We are all geared up and looking forward to playing some great cricket in the upcoming season and aim for a win," said Sangakkara at a tele -conference on Friday.

Speaking on this new appointment, the promoters of Kings XI Punjab added, "Kumar has excelled as the captain of the Sri Lankan team and we at Kings XI Punjab have a great amount of respect for his ability on the field and his professionalism and leadership skills off the field. Kings XI Punjab is excited about the upcoming season and we as a team are universally determined for this to be our year."

Commenting on Yuvraj Singh, they said, "Yuvraj Singh, has been an inspiring captain during the first two seasons - we have been blessed to have him guide us since the inception of our franchise and his performance has been nothing short of excellent. We know Yuvraj is supportive of Kumar and is looking forward to delivering the legendary batting and bowling performance that he is so well known and respected for.

Kings XI Punjab looks forward to delivering the best performance this season for our fans and supporters in India and around the world."  

Anil Srivatsa, CEO, KXIP was all praises for the new captain at the tele - conference. "We are happy to announce Kumar Sangakkara as our team captain for IPL 2010. Sangakkara is an exceptional cricketer with exceptional cricketing skills and we believe that under his leadership, KXIP will reach new heights. KXIP has already started its campaign for DLF IPL 2010 with the action packed KXIP Cup that just concluded yesterday in Mohali. Keeping with our values, this was a great opportunity for promoting upcoming cricketers. The passion and excitement that one saw was truly outstanding,"