IPL 2018: 4 reasons why KKR chose Dinesh Karthik and not Robin Uthappa as Captain
As the dust settled around the IPL auctions, the real quandary began for Kolkata Knight Riders. Despite spending most of their purse, the franchise missed a trick in the auctions.
The team lacked an experienced Indian pacer and did not have suitable backups in case the front-liners became unavailable. Above all, the biggest loophole in their squad was the absence of captaincy material.
Amid speculations around the next Captain doing the rounds, most people placed their bet on Robin Uthappa.
Uthappa has been associated with KKR for the past four years and has been their star performer. The fact that KKR used their Right-to-Match card to bag Uthappa for 6.4 crores further threw weight behind these claims.
Even the state’s most loved cricketer and former KKR Captain Sourav Ganguly backed the Karnataka lad for the role.
However, after a long wait, the Venky Mysore led KKR management nominated the Tamil Nadu keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik as their next Captain, naming Uthappa the vice-captain.
While this move may seem out of the blue at first sight, here are four reasons which may end up convincing you that it is actually not that illogical a choice.
#1 Consistent performer
It may have gone under the radar but Karthik has been a consistent performer throughout the ten years of his IPL career.
With an IPL career average of a shade under 25 and a strike rate of 125, Karthik has a fairly decent record for someone who serves the team as a keeper as well.
This is the reason why he bagged fat paychecks of 12.5 and 10.5 crores in the 2014 and 2015 seasons of the IPL respectively.
Last year also, the Tamil Nadu keeper starred for the Gujarat Lions with an average of 36.10 and a strike rate touching 140.
Comparatively, Uthappa with an average close to 30 fell a little short.