Lockie Ferguson is looking forward to the mega IPL auction to be held early next year and hopes to be roped in again by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

For the last three seasons, since the franchise picked him ahead of IPL 2019, the pacer has been one of the consistent performers for the Knight Riders. Ferguson didn’t feature in the Knight Riders’ retention list, but the New Zealander wishes to extend his stint with the two-time champions, with whom, he said, he has “developed a lot as a player” over the last three years.

“The three years I had at KKR was a really great learning experience for me as a player and I learnt dealing with the kind of pressure that I wasn’t used to handling as an overseas pro. So I developed a lot as a player and felt that the IPL helped me do that. Filling into the KKR family was a big part of that,” Ferguson told The Telegraph in an interaction facilitated by Amazon Video Prime, which owns New Zealand Cricket media rights and begins live cricket streaming on January 1, 2022.

“Going into the next auction… Of course, I would love to go back to KKR. I love playing for them as well as the group of guys, the coaches... (head coach) Brendon McCullum was exceptional… and the way the franchise is run, that too is exceptional.

“I would be really happy if KKR put the pedal up for me. But at the same time, we all know how auctions work. Of course, two new teams add a bit of a twist to it, so it’s going to be a tough evening,” the 30-year-old said.

Bubble life

Back after recovering from a calf-muscle tear, Ferguson would do everything needed to keep himself fit for next year’s T20 World Cup scheduled in October-November. Looking after his workload amid the pandemic, according to Ferguson, has been “the biggest challenge aside from death bowling”.

But he isn’t complaining about bubble life or bubble fatigue.

“In New Zealand, we also have the MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine, which is a part of border measures to keep Covid-19, the Omicron variant in particular, out of New Zealand) at this point, which is tough on the body as well. Sometimes you just do as much as you can to prepare yourself, but also try not to stress too much.

“But of course, it’s a big privilege to be able to play cricket around the world, as being part of the high level of competition and ability to play puts food on the table. So by no means am I complaining about the challenges, while I’m sure there are people who are probably on a tougher boat than me,” Ferguson explained.