Dinesh Karthik steps aside as Kolkata Knight Riders captain; Morgan to take over

Dinesh Karthik has handed over the Kolkata Knight Riders captaincy to Eoin Morgan midway through IPL 2020. Karthik said the decision would help him focus on his batting more. Knight Riders are currently fourth on the points table, with four wins in seven matches.

"We are fortunate to have leaders such as DK who has always put the team first, "Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement. "It takes a lot of courage for someone like him to take a decision such as this.

"While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes. We are also fortunate that Eoin Morgan, the 2019 World Cup-winning captain, who has been the vice captain, is willing to lead the side going forward. DK and Eoin have worked brilliantly together during this tournament and although Eoin takes over as captain, this is effectively a role swap and we expect that this transition will work in a seamless manner."

Morgan, who led the England ODI team to a World Cup win in 2019, was bought by the Knight Riders for INR 5.25 crore at the December 2019 auction. After seven league games, Morgan is second on the list of most runs for the Knight Riders this season, hitting 175 runs at an average of 35. Karthik has scored 108 runs at an average of 15.42.

Karthik was earmarked as a leader after they parted ways with Gautam Gambhir after the 2017 season. The Knight Riders bought him for INR 7.4 crores ahead of the 2018 season, where they finished fourth. Last year, they failed to make the playoffs.