Director of cricket Paul Downton says Kent Cricket captain Sam Billings remains 'very much the leader' of the squad as he prepares for his latest Indian Premier League stint

Sam Billings remains “very much the leader” of Kent’s squad - no matter where he is in the world.

IPL-bound Billings will feature for the Kolkata Knight Riders this year, which means he’ll miss the early part of Kent’s campaign.

The 30-year-old is regularly involved in franchises around the globe that have meant he has missed chunks of recent campaigns.

But director of cricket Paul Downton says they have learnt how to deal without him and told of how much contact Billings still has with Kent’s staff while he is away.

“From Kent’s perspective, of course we are always going to miss Sam Billings - as a player and as a captain,” Downton conceded.

“But we have got a little bit used to it. We have regular conversations about what’s best for Sam, what’s best for Kent and, of course, we would like him to be here.

“But if you get the opportunity to play in the IPL, not only from a financial point-of-view but also an all-round cricket education point-of-view, then it’s a great opportunity and hard to turn down.

“The conversations Sam and I have had are about that he needs to play.

"The KKR deal that he has got, okay he is one of eight overseas players, but he’ll definitely be their number one wicket-keeper.

“Depending on the make-up of the side, I think he has a good chance of playing this year and, of course, he wants to push his case forward with the T20 World Cup coming up and, no doubt, when he gets back to England for the white-ball set-up.

“We have learnt to be able to cover him.

"We are lucky we have got Ollie Robinson, an outstanding wicketkeeper-batter, and Jordan Cox as well. Of all the positions, maybe we have more cover in that position than we do elsewhere!

“I think the thing that goes unseen is his leadership of this