KKR Can Change Betting Odds If They Replace Their Captain

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) should have won their game against Delhi Capitals on October 3 but failed to do so as some costly captaincy mistakes by KKR captain Dinesh Karthik cost his side the game.

Bettors who put money on KKR will be furious with Karthik’s decision-making skills as it cost them money. The big question is whether KKR’s owners will be just as upset with Karthik’s captaincy, or will they put it down to as another loss and look to move on from here.

We look back at what went wrong for KKR and what they can do to turn their fortunes against IPL2020 and change their betting odds.

Wrong Decision 1: KKR Decide To Field First

KKR won the toss and decided to field first on a wicket that looked like a belter. It turned out to be just that as KKR struggled to keep Delhi Capitals in check as their batsmen dispatched the ball at will and ended up scoring a total of 228 for the loss of just 4 wickets.

This is arguably the first big decision that Karthik got wrong in the game against the Capitals. He should have opted to bat first and then put the pressure of chasing down the Capitals’ total.

Wrong Decision 2: Not Opening The Bowling With S Narine

S Narine has opened the bowling for KKR on countless occasions, and it would have been ideal for testing Narine against left-hander S Dhawan at the start of the innings. Instead, Karthik decided to go with pace up front, and P Shaw and S Dhawan had no problems finding the boundary.

Narine ended up bowling only 2 overs and conceded 13 runs per over. The fact that he only sent down 2 overs would not have done much for his confidence as KKR opened the batting with Narine, who ended up scoring just 3 and falling in the second over.

Wrong Decision 3: Field Placements and Bowling Changes

Delhi Capitals captain S Iyer was in great form and remained unbeaten on 88, which came of just 38 balls. He and R Pant (38 from 17 balls) turned up the tempo in the end and helped the Capitals get well past 200.

In his post-match interview, D Karthik admitted that maybe the Charges got about 10 runs too many at the end. Some of Karthik’s field placements and bowling changes were questionable, but each captain has their own style and way of thinking. Karthik did his best, but his best was not good enough on the night.

Wrong Decision 4: Sending Russell At No 4

Andre Russell put in a fantastic performance for KKR with the ball, and D Karthik decided to send him in at number 4 to see if he can deliver with the bat. The problem with that decision was Russell came in with the score at 94 for 4 in 9.5 overs. Typically, you get the best out of Russell when he has 4 or 5 overs to bat, and he knows he has the license to play his shots.

The match situation did not call for Russell to bat up the order but for Eoin Morgan to go in. Morgan generally bats at 4 when he captains England and has all the experience needed to control the chase and play the big shots when needed. The Russell experiment failed as he got out for 13 and left KKR in a tough spot as there was now a lack of firepower at the death.

Wrong Decision 4: Karthik Coming In At 5

When Russell fell, one expected Eoin Morgan to come out to bat. Instead, Karthik decided to promote himself to see if he can play a captain’s innings. Karthik did not make much of an impression as he scored 6 of 8 balls and was back in the pavilion in a quick time.

Eoin Morgan finally came to the wicket at number 6 and played a fantastic innings scoring 44 of 18 balls at a strike rate of 244. He received good support from R Tripathi, who scored 36 from 16 balls. In the end, KKR was able to get to 210 from their allotted 10 overs and fell short by 18 runs.

Eoin Morgan Should Replace Karthik

The problem for KKR is that D Karthik has made poor decisions for the team in 2019 and continues to make them in 2020. Eoin Morgan led England to a World Cup championship and has all the credentials you need to take over the leadership of KKR.

Will KKR make the bold decision and strip Karthik of the captaincy midway through the IPL? We will have to wait and see.