IPL 2020 | KKR needs Eoin Morgan to help Dinesh Karthik with leadership, states Dean Jones

Kolkata Knight Riders’ inaugural match of the 2020 edition comes against the four-time IPL champions in the form of Mumbai Indians. Fortunately for them, Mumbai are coming into this contest on the back of a loss against Chennai Super Kings, with their middle-order looking out of shape. For KKR, they would be buzzing to go into the contest, with all their foreign recruits available for their opener, including Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton and their record signing Pat Cummins. 

Former Australian batsman-now-turned commentator, Dean Jones stated that KKR would highly be dependent on Eoin Morgan to help the Tamil Nadu man Dinesh Karthik with leadership. Last year, under the leadership of Karthik, the franchise finished outside the playoff spots, with a reported conflict in the dressing room between the skipper and Andre Russell. However, this season, with the presence of Morgan, Jones believes that the Englishman would help Karthik handle the situation. 

“He has got the World Cup and understands big moment and having Eoin is massive and they needed that leadership to help Dinesh Karthik at the top because of the conflict between Karthik and Russell,” Jones said on Star Sports show Game Plan.

At the same time, Jones also heaped his praises on the right-handed youngster Shubman Gill, who he believes is one of the ‘best kids’ of all time. 

“Morgan is a phenomenal player; his numbers are brilliant. It’s good to have him at KKR. KKR has one of the best kids of all time in this with Shubhman Gill an outstanding player and Morgan can hit fours and sixes to spin around the park,” he added.

He also reckoned that the team is going to have shades of Brendon McCullum in it, with an uber-aggressive style in terms of their game-play, which he believes might work very well. 

“He (McCullum) is going to be nervous. TKR has been amazing and unbeaten at CPL but most players coach the same way they play, and Brendon just goes after and smash every ball and he might coach this team in the same way and might work for them,” Jones said.