Dinesh Karthik ready to lead KKR if Morgan is unavailable
The Indian Premier League 2021 season's remainder of matches is set to play in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in September and October, but many players who played in the first half are doubtful to participate in part 2 of the competition.
The Indian Premier League 2021 was suspended on May 4 after several players and staff from different Indian Premier League franchises tested positive for COVID-19.
Kolkata Knight Riders' former skipper Dinesh Karthik has confirmed that Aussie pacer Pat Cummins won't be returning for the 2nd part, while skipper Eoin Morgan is also very unlikely to be available.
And when he was asked about captaincy for the Kolkata franchise, he mentioned that if the opportunity arrives, he will lead the team in the 2nd half of the Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021).
Dinesh Karthik had stepped down
Dinesh Karthik was the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise ever after the franchise's most successful captain Gautam Gambhir left the team. However, midway through the 2020 season of IPL, Dinesh Karthik stepped down as captain of KKR due to inconsistent results and performance. Eoin Morgan has been leading the team ever since then. But he is ready to lead again.
"When it comes to Eoin Morgan, there are still three months to go. A lot can change from now till September. But if I am asked to lead, I will be ready for it," Dinesh Karthik told TOI.
IPL 2021 in UAE
IPL 2021 was scheduled to be held entirely in India after the 2020 edition of the world's biggest T20 competition was played in UAE last year.
It all started well, and fans enjoyed the competition, but several positive cases around teams meant the league was suspended; however, later, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) confirmed that the event will be shifted to UAE once again.
Dinesh Karthik's Stats
Talking about Dinesh Karthik, he has had a glorious career so far and has been recognized as a T20 specialist. Though he hasn't got many chances for India, his record in the IPL and domestic circuit proves his quality.
In 203 IPL matches, Karthik has scored 3946 runs and played in IPL since the inaugural season, while he scored 6183 runs in 317 T20 games.