‘Knight Riders better balanced now’
› I will miss Kolkata because there is a certain vibe, energy playing at Eden Gardens. Playing in front 60,000 cheering for you makes a massive difference. DINESH KARTHIK, on home games moving out
The inclusion of quicks Lockie Ferguson and Harry Gurney, hard-hitting batsman Carlos Brathwaite and top order bat Joe Denly makes Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stronger than last year when they were within a game of playing the IPL 2018 final, said team captain Dinesh Karthik.
“We are slightly different to the team we had last year so we are really looking forward to the season. We have realised what we lacked last year and we have added resources accordingly so we are more well-rounded (sic) as a team this year,” said Karthik at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
Along with KKR managing director Venky Mysore and academy mentor Abhishek Nayar, Karthik made a whistle-stop visit to the city for the prize distribution ceremony of an inter-school cricket tournament.
In his first year with the purple shirts, Karthik, 33, helmed a young team which had surprise picks such as Shubman Gill, Shivam Mavi, Nitish Rana to the eliminators. Karthik said he felt that was the best KKR could have done last term. This time he feels the squad is stronger. KKR retained 13 players and bought eight at the 2018 auction.
The IPL being held during the general elections could mean that teams may have to play some matches on neutral venues. “I really will miss Kolkata because there is a certain vibe, certain energy playing at Eden Gardens. Playing in front 60,000 cheering for you makes a massive difference. The (full) schedule hasn’t come out yet so it is early for me to comment… But if we do miss a few games, I would miss Eden Gardens terribly,’ said Karthik.
KKR will open at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 24. Though in an interview before last December’s auction Mysore had said KKR would budget for the possibility of players having to be released early because of the World Cup, on Tuesday he said the tournament is ending early enough for Indians to get ready for their opening game, against South Africa on June 5.
“If May 12 is the final, and India plays their first game on June 5th, there is enough of a gap but we have not had any such guidance or instruction (from BCCI regarding managing players’ workload). Having been around cricketers and coaches they feel that when you’re playing competitive cricket, it’s better than having net sessions,” he said.