Running against time, Morgan-led side finished on same points with SRH and RCB but the two teams advanced on better run-rate as KKR missed the playoffs for the second time in succession.
KKR skipper Eoin Morgan
Former champions Kolkata Knight Riders will look to strike a perfect balance under the astute leadership of Eoin Morgan when they open their IPL campaign against a consistent Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Sunday.
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One of the best in business in the white-ball format, Morgan took charge of an ordinary-looking KKR under Dinesh Karthik midway into the last season held in the UAE.
Running against time, Morgan-led side finished on same points with SRH and RCB but the two teams advanced on better run-rate as KKR missed the playoffs for the second time in succession.
In his first stint as full time captain, all eyes would be on the ODI World Cup-winning English skipper, who will look to transform the misfiring army of cricketers and bring back the glorious days of two-time IPL champions.
In Shubman Gill, they have a fantastic young top-order batsman who can easily shift gears, while the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana and veteran Karthik, who’s free from the captaincy burden, can form the core of their Indian batting.
Then there is the skipper Morgan who will look to bat through the overs while hoping that 2019 edition’s Most Valuable Player Andre Russell gets back his explosive touch after a quiet season.
Russell had the worst season by his standards averaging 13 in nine innings without a single match-winning performance as the over-dependency on the Jamaican cost KKR dear.
Another West Indian who flopped big time in the UAE was Sunil Narine. It’s time that they think beyond the Trinidadian and try out Shakib Al Hasan, their buy in this year’s auction.
One of the more consistent sides of IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad lost before the final hurdle, going down to runners-up Delhi Capitals in the
Qualifier 2 last year.
SRH will be bolstered by the return of senior India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar who played just four games in last year’s IPL in the UAE due to a hip injury.
PTI
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