Karthik steps down as captain, Morgan takes charge
ABU DHABI: Dinesh Karthik on Friday stepped down as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), handing over the reins to his English deputy Eoin Morgan hours before the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Mumbai Indians (MI) here.
Karthik told the KKR management that he wants to “focus on his batting and contribute more to the team’s cause”. Appointed skipper in 2018, the 35-year-old led Kolkata in 37 matches. “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,” franchise CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.
“While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes. DK and Eoin have worked brilliantly together during this tournament. Although Eoin takes over as captain, this is effectively a role swap and we expect that this transition will work in a seamless manner,” added Mysore.
“On behalf of everyone at Kolkata Knight Riders, we thank DK for all his contributions as the captain over the past two-and-a-half years and wish Eoin the very best going forward.” Even though Mysore termed Karthik’s decision surprising, the move was always on the cards with a World Cup-winning captain in the mix.
The India wicketkeeper-batsman’s captaincy had come under intense criticism due to the team’s erratic showing in the first half of IPL 2020.