England’s World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan has been named captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with immediate effect in the ongoing 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. He will be leading the team against Mumbai Indians (MI) on October 16. Dinesh Karthik stepped down as the captain of the team in the mid of the season after the team was standing at the fourth position in the points tally with four wins in seven games.
The official website of KKR confirmed the news of Morgan taking the captaincy reins from Karthik half-way in the league. He was often been criticized since the beginning of the tournament for his tactical decisions and the rotation of the bowlers. However, Karthik made a strong comeback by improvising against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as KKR managed to win the match. He had also played a Man of the Match innings in the next match against KXIP (58 off 29) to take his team to their second consecutive victory.
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Thus, the sudden decision of switching the captain shocked the cricketing fraternity as a lot of former cricketers, analysts, and pundits opined over the decision of handing over the reins to Eoin Morgan via Twitter including the likes of Aakash Chopra and Irfan Pathan for making this change in the middle.
Chopra expressed his unhappiness with the decision as he feels that Morgan’s batting has been below average in the tournament and the leadership role will add more pressure on the England star. Veteran pacer Irfan Pathan is also of a similar view as he believes that making a change in the middle of the tournament is never a good option for an individual or a team.
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Aakash Chopra tweeted: “They have a game tonight. And while it’s their decision to make, Morgan’s batting form has left a lot to be desired in #IPL2020 There’s another team in the competition that’s struggling with their overseas captain’s form.”
They have a game tonight. And while it’s their decision to make, Morgan’s batting form has left a lot to be desired in #IPL2020 There’s another team in the competition that’s struggling with their overseas captain’s form. https://t.co/GiQOvH7nJo
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 16, 2020
On the other hand, Irfan Pathan tweeted: “Mid season change in Captaincy is never a comfortable situation for the team members. Hope #kkr doesn’t go astray from here. They are very much in the race for the playoffs! #DineshKarthik #Eoinmorgan”
Mid season change in Captaincy is never a comfortable situation for the team members. Hope #kkr doesn't go astray from here. They are very much in the race for the playoffs! #DineshKarthik #Eoinmorgan
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 16, 2020
