Dinesh Karthik revealed what happened when he quit KKR captaincy
It was midway through the Indian Premier League 2020 when we saw a leadership change in one of the Indian Premier League's most successful teams, the Kolkata Knight Riders, when captain Dinesh Karthik stepped down from his captaincy role.
It was a bit of a surprise for the one-half of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans, while one-half of the fans thought a change in leadership was a must considering Karthik's performance in the starting few matches of the Indian Premier League 2020 edition.
The captaincy was handed to the 2019 Cricket World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan who joined the team before the season. For the second time, Eoin Morgan featured in Kolkata Knight Riders' purple and gold jersey.
In a recent interview, the former Indian wicketkeeper and former KKR captain revealed what transpired after he decided to step down from Kolkata Knight Riders' captaincy role.
He stated on 22 Yarns with Gaurav Kapoor that the Kolkata Knight Riders management understood the situation, acted reasonably, and decided which was best for the team. He also revealed that Eoin Morgan initially was reluctant to take up the captaincy from Dinesh Karthik.
Karthik revealed that Morgan wanted to enjoy playing in the Indian Premier League. Eoin Morgan is the England national cricket team captain, which is significant pressure, and thus he wanted to enjoy playing in the IPL as vice-captain of the team.
Dinesh Karthik discloses Eoin Morgan was not ready to take over captaincy
He revealed that when he proposed to Morgan to captain the Kolkata franchise, he replied with a no straightaway. Morgan told Karthik if he is crazy as the team was doing well and was placed 4th in the league table. However, in the end, the England captain took up the captaincy role.
The Indian Premier League 2021 edition was suspended midway due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak inside the IPL's bio-bubble. However, the BCCI acted reasonably and has planned to host the 2nd phase of the IPL 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September.
With Eoin Morgan unlikely to play in the 2nd phase of the Indian Premier League, Dinesh Karthik has mentioned that if the team wants, then he is ready to lead the team in the 2nd phase.