IPL 2020: Dinesh Karthik steps down from KKR captaincy, Eoin Morgan named new skipper
Dinesh Karthik plays for KKR, and has not been in the Indian national team since 2019 (Photo: KKR)
Dinesh Karthik on Friday stepped down as the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) while handing over the captaincy duties to ICC World Cup 2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan. Karthik has moved away from captaincy with a view to focus on his batting and contributing more to the team’s cause.
Karthik’s decision to step down from captaincy duties come as a major surprise as KKR have been doing well in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 and are sitting fourth in the points table with four wins in seven matches so far. Morgan will start leading KKR from their match against Mumbai Indians, scheduled for Friday in Abu Dhabi.
Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR said “we are fortunate to have leaders such as DK, who has always put the team first. It takes a lot of courage for someone like him to take a decision such as this. While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes. We are also fortunate that Eoin Morgan, the 2019 World Cup-winning captain, who has been the vice captain, is willing to lead the side going forward. DK and Eoin have worked brilliantly together during this tournament and although Eoin takes over as captain, this is effectively a role swap and we expect that this transition will work in a seamless manner”
Karthik was heavily criticized after KKR’s couple of defeats in the early phase of the tournament but bounced back strong with some bold decisions against Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab.
However, him stepping down from the captaincy role could be to focus more on his batting. Besides the only half-century in IPL 2020, Karthik has been pretty lackluster with the willow so far and will be hoping pressure-free cricket can bring the best out of him.