We are a more well-rounded team this year, asserts KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata Knight Riders were the surprise package last time out in the 2018-19 season of the Indian Premier League. The young team coached by Simon Katich narrowly missed out on a spot in the finals against CSK as they lost the play-off match to Sunrisers Hyderabad by a small margin of 14 runs.

However, this time round, Karthik reckons that the addition of Carlos Brathwaite and Harry Gurney has made the squad a more ‘complete’ unit.

“We are slightly different to the team we had last year so we are really looking forward to it as a team. We have realized what we lacked last year and we have added resources accordingly so we are a more well-rounded team this year,” Karthik PTI reporters the sidelines of the Mayor’s Cup.

Karthik, who scored 498 runs from 16 games last year, added that he has never “enjoyed setting goals” as he accepts his exclusion from the limited-overs team for the series against Australia. The Tamil Nadu-born batsman was widely criticised for his decision to forego a single and hold on to the strike in the final over of the last T20I against New Zealand and many feel he lost his position in the team because of that incident.

“I am not somebody who sets goals per se. For some strange reason it is not something I have enjoyed doing. Though I think if we can go out there and put our best foot on the park and the best we can I will be very happy,” Karthik added.

When asked about Kolkata not hosting all of its home matches at Eden Gardens due to the general elections, the wicketkeeper replied, "I will miss Kolkata (in such a sitation) because there is a certain vibe, a certain energy when we play at the Eden. Playing in front 60,000 cheering for you makes a massive difference."

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