IPL 2019: Karthik under scanner as Kolkata Knight Riders look to turn the tide

Kolkata: Under the pump for the first time as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper, Dinesh Karthik’s leadership skills and own form will be keenly observed when his team takes on Rajasthan Royals in a must-win Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter for both here at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.

Karthik has a tally of 117 runs after 10 matches with only one 50. The World Cup call-up has also failed to inspire the stumper-batsman who chose to go on a break to Mumbai after KKR’s fifth successive defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad on the road.

There have been talks about Karthik being removed as skipper even after head coach Jacques Kallis has put his weight behind the 33-year-old. The decision to send their best power hitter Andre Russell as low as No. 7 in the last few matches have only escalated the matter.

Besides Karthik, vice-captain Robin Uthappa has been struggling with his own issues. While he has managed to score more runs than Karthik, 220 to be exact in nine matches but his strike rate of 119.56 has been a real cause of concern for the two-time champions.

Uthappa wasted a lot of deliveries, which proved to be costly in their last home game against RCB. KKR fell 10 short of the 214-run target. He was dropped in their last game and so was Kuldeep Yadav, who has failed to shine this season going for lot of runs and failing to deceive the batsmen.

Five cricketers — Karthik, Uthappa, wicketkeeper Nikhil Naik and pacers Shrikant Munde and Prithvi Raj Yarra — went to Mumbai for a break, a move Kallis said was done to take the players away from the game a bit and re-energise.

In their remaining four games, KKR have to win all of them to qualify for the play-offs.

Coming to the visitors, Royals, placed seventh in the points and in need to win their remaining four matches in order to have any chance of qualifying for the playoffs, will be boosted by Ajinkya Rahane’s form. The India Test specialist, removed from captaincy as Steve Smith took over, scored a magnificent hundred in their last game against Delhi Capitals.

Royals lost the game, but Rahane’s show was encouraging to say the least. Royals will be without Jos Buttler once again but for the last time will get the services of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, the latter being their key bowler along with spinner Shreyas Gopal.

Archer and Stokes will join the England squad for World Cup preparation with the deadline being April 26. Archer is not part of the 15-member contingent but has made it to the England limited-overs’ squad for the Pakistan ODI series.

KKR, though, will draw confidence from their first leg meeting with Royals, where the two-time champions recorded a facile eight-wicket victory.

— IANS