IPL 2020 / Karthik steps down as KKR captain mid-season, Eoin Morgan to lead

Cricket Desk: Dinesh Karthik resigned as Kolkata captain on Friday and handed over the captaincy to England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan. The wicket-keeper batsman hasn't been in the best of form in the Dream11 IPL 2020, which might have prompted him to take the decision. Moreover, the Kolkata outfit has had a mixed tournament till now and throughout the course of the competition, Dinesh Karthik has been subjected to severe criticism due to his unusual tactics.

Dinesh Karthik resigns as Kolkata captain, Eoin Morgan takes over

The Kolkata franchise released a statement in which it was mentioned that Dinesh Karthik would look to focus more on his batting. The Kolkata franchise's CEO Venky Mysore said in the release that they are fortunate to have a leader such as Dinesh Karthik, who has always put the team first. He added that it takes a lot of courage for someone like him to make a decision such as this. Mysore further said that they are surprised by his decision, however, he reckoned that they are respectful of his wishes.

Venky Mysore stated that they are also fortunate that Eoin Morgan, the 2019 World Cup-winning captain, who has been the vice-captain, is willing to lead the side going forward. He opined that Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan have worked brilliantly together during this tournament and although the Englishman takes over as captain, this is effectively a role swap and they expect that this transition will work in a seamless manner.

Kolkata have currently played seven matches in the Dream11 IPL 2020, having won three and lost four. The Men in Purple got hammered at the hands of Bangalore by 82 runs in their last game. To make matters worse, Dinesh Karthik hasn't got going with the bat in the tournament so far. In seven matches, the Tamil Nadu based cricketer has scored just 108 runs at a dismal average of 15.42 to go with a solitary half-century.

Eoin Morgan has taken over as Kolkata captain with immediate effect. The southpaw will lead his side in the Mumbai vs Kolkata live match that is set to be played later tonight. The Mumbai vs Kolkata live action will kick-off at 7:30 PM (IST). Kolkata have to secure a win in tonight's fixture against Mumbai as a loss here will further detriment their chances of making it to the playoffs.