It makes me laugh when the word "authority" is associated with a captain: Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan doesn't want the word "authority" to be associated with a captain. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper believes it is more important for him to gain the trust of his teammates than trying to force his clout on them.
In a video released by the franchise ahead of their fourth game of the season, Eoin Morgan likened the word "authority" to war movies, saying it makes him laugh when someone associates it with cricket. Morgan added that he will try to be a good leader who can simply 'guide' his players in the right direction.
"Every captain is different. The best version of myself is just to be myself. And I operate in a certain way. When the word "authority" is associated with a captain, it makes me laugh. Because it makes me feel like we are watching a war movie or doing something with guns. We play a non-contact sport. So you don't need to stamp your authority. You need to build trust, be a good leader. If you can do that then that allows you to impart the knowledge to guide the team and that's what I'll be trying to do," said Eoin Morgan.
Eoin Morgan took over the leadership of KKR mid-way through the last IPL season. The franchise's performance didn't improve by much and they marginally missed the qualifiers. This year is now Eoin Morgan's first as a full-time skipper of an IPL franchise.
Eoin Morgan's KKR placed 5th in the points table after 3 games
With 1 win and 2 losses, KKR are placed 5th in the points table. They started their campaign on a winning note by defending 188 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, since then, their middle-order problems have come to the fore and resulted in back-to-back losses against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The much-vaunted troika of Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell are yet to win them a game with the bat this season. Shakib Al Hasan, who was expected to provide more stability with the bat, hasn't fired either. Questions have also been raised about some of Eoin Morgan's on-field tactics.
As seen last season, poor starts in the tournament can leave franchises under too much pressure during the final games of the league stage. KKR would like to shrug off the inconsistency and build on the promise of their leader's words when they take on Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.