Matt Walker says Kent are keeping an open mind about who will take over the captaincy at the start of the summer.

Skipper Sam Billings and his deputy Joe Denly will miss a minimum of six weeks due to their Indian Premier League commitments meaning the county must pick someone else to temporarily take the reins.

Billings will again play for holders Chennai Super Kings while Denly has been signed up by the Kolkata Knight Riders for the competition which runs from late March to May.

Head coach Walker says Kent will clearly miss the pair but he hopes their absence will give other players an opportunity to take more responsibility.

He explained: “We’re going to miss Sam and Joe and the qualities they bring, but you can sit and moan about the situation or you can be really proud of the fact that we’ve got one player captaining the Lions before he heads off to the IPL, and another who is playing Test cricket before he goes to India.

“It won’t be easy for anyone, stepping into two pairs of shoes instead of one but in many ways it’s an opportunity for someone to step-up and show what they can do in terms of leading the team.

“We’ve talked before about developing leaders on the field and while it may be one man who will be captain it will require the other players to step up and drive it as well.

“I suppose in theory the dream is to have 11 leaders, you don’t want them all arguing the toss on the field but you want them all to be driven, and recognise those key moments whether it’s in a game where someone needs to stand up or it’s a mate who needs an arm round their shoulder.

“Certainly there were signs last season that we were developing a group who could do that.”

Heino Kuhn is many people’s favourite to be given the captaincy while experienced all-rounder Darren Stevens has been leading Claremont CC in South Africa this winter, but Walker says the county are keeping their options open.

No decision is expected until during or after the club’s pre-season training camp in Paarl, South Africa, next month.

Walker added: “Looking in from the outside people might think there are some obvious candidates but we’re not thinking like that. It’s an open book, there are lots of different arguments for who gets it.

“We will sit down and work out the best options, it may not be that the experienced players are the ones next in line, it might be a bit left field because we feel that is the right move.

“First and foremost we want to get someone who wants to do it because it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

“I’m not sure being a county captain is as fashionable as it once was, because it’s a demanding job.

“Then you’ve got to take into account form and fitness at the start of the season and it needs to be someone who plays both formats (championships and one-day cup) because we want consistency.”