Eoin Morgan, KKR skipper heaped praise on his deputy, Dinesh Karthik for his role in maintaining the team’s balance, ahead of KKR’s IPL 2021 opening game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 11, Sunday.
Dinesh Karthik was appointed captain of the KKR team prior to Eoin Morgan’s captaincy. However, midway through the 2020 season, the KKR management decided to switch roles by handing Eoin Morgan the leadership and making Dinesh Karthik his deputy.
Eoin Morgan: Dinesh Karthik Offers A Lot With The Bat And Behind The Stumps And He’s In Fine Form
Captain Eoin Morgan spoke about KKR’s plans going into IPL 2021 and Dinesh Karthik’s role in the team.
“DK offers a lot with the bat and behind the stumps. He has been in fine form.. he is always one of those players who if you watch him train and particularly bat, he times the ball beautifully and hits the ball further than most of the guys,” Eoin Morgan stated.
Eoin Morgan, who took over the reins from Dinesh Karthik halfway through IPL 2020 said that the wicketkeeper batsman’s presence has been a big support for him throughout.
“He offers a huge amount of support to me on the pitch and off the field as well. Very grateful that he is in good form and in our team,” he sai.
Eoin Morgan has revealed that it is a huge plus to be back in India for the IPL 2021 and called it an ‘honour’ to be able to play in the Indian Premier League in the home country.
Eoin Morgan: Eden Is A Special Place As Every Team Misses Their Fans As IPL 2021 Group Match Will Be Held At Neutral Venues
KKR’s biggest strength lies in its foreign recruitments. Led by captain Eoin Morgan, KKR boast of a strong overseas line-up. With the likes of Pat Cummins, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine in their ranks, KKR consists of a formidable force.
Moreover, with KKR adding Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in their ranks, the Kolkata franchise will be one to be wary of. Lockie Ferguson, who impressed during the last edition, will also bolster the squad.
Further speaking of how it is to not be playing matches at Eden Gardens due to IPL 2021’s neutral venue schedule, KKR captain Eoin Morgan said, “I think every team misses their fans. For us, Eden is such a special place. It is not only renowned around the world but also in Indian cricket holds a massive place in people’s hearts.”
Like every other year since 2015, this IPL season once again brings in new hope for the Kolkata Knight Riders as they look to shed the past year’s disappointment and come back stronger.
KKR will commence their IPL 2021 campaign against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and the men in Purple and Gold will be keen to get revenge after failing to secure a playoff berth after losing out to SRH on the Net Run Rate (NRR) factor last year.
Eoin Morgan has led the limited-overs format England side for many years now and won the ODI World Cup in 2019 as captain. He will be keen to win more silverware with KKR. While Andre Russell is a game-changer, the West Indies player struggled with the willow during the previous edition. Banking too much on the all-rounder might hurt KKR’s chances.
Former skipper Dinesh Karthik was inconsistent during the last edition but will hope to make amends. The English World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan, who took over the role after seven games last season, was one of the bright spots for the team in 2020. The left-hander struck 418 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.80 and also hit the most sixes (24), giving impetus in the death overs with his cameos.
Among Indians, Shubman Gill was KKR’s leading run-scorer in IPL 2020 amassing 440 runs in 14 games while Prasidh Krishna was rewarded with an India cap recently and did well while new recruit Harbhajan Singh is among the top 10 wicket-takers in the history of IPL.
Kolkata Knight Riders Probable XI: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan(c), Dinesh Karthik(wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine/ Shakib Al Hasan, Shivam Mavi/Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Pat Cummins/ Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy/ Harbhajan Singh, Prasidh Krishna.