IPL 2020: ‘Very strange move’ – Ajit Agarkar on KKR changing captains midway through tournament

Following the completion of 7 games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) grabbed headlines for changing their captain. It was Dinesh Karthik who was the captain of the franchise from the 2018 IPL. The wicket-keeper batsman was the one who led the team in the first half of this year’s tournament. However, following mixed response to his captaincy this year and in KKR’s words, for ‘contributing more for the team’, Karthik decided to step down and hand over his captaincy duties to English World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan.

KKR are currently 4th on the points table having won 5 games from their first 9. After Morgan took over, KKR suffered a hammering defeat at the hands of their not-so-friendly foes Mumbai Indians but bounced back by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in a thrilling match that went to a Super Over. Their season is now well-poised and they will want to secure a playoff spot sooner rather than later.

‘Not the right move’ – Ajit Agarkar

Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar shared his opinions on what he thought was not the right move to change captains midway through the tournament. Speaking on Star Sports’ Fan Week, Agarkar said that it was ‘not the right move’.

“I don’t think replacing Dinesh Karthik after seven games when you’re sitting fourth in the table is the right move in my opinion. It does add to the disruption of the team and you could see the way they performed against Mumbai Indians, even though it was a tough game,” Agarkar said in a reply to a fan’s question.

“I don’t think it was the right move. You make plans with a certain captain through the course of the year and in spite of sitting fourth on the table, it was a very strange move for me,” he further added.

KKR will next go head-to-head with Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday at Abu Dhabi.

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