"It is beyond my understanding" - Harbhajan Singh questions KKR's game plans after IPL 2023 loss to CSK

Harbhajan Singh has questioned the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for making frequent changes and not sticking to a consistent game plan after their IPL 2023 loss to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Nitish Rana and Co. suffered a crushing 49-run defeat against MS Dhoni's side at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, April 23. They were restricted to 186/8 after allowing the visitors to put a mammoth 235/4 on the board to suffer their fourth consecutive defeat in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League.

During a post-match discussion on Star Sports, Harbhajan was asked whether frequent personnel changes are hurting KKR's cause, to which he responded:

"You have to give some belief. You need to go with a plan, that this is your plan for this season and the intent with which you will play your cricket. Of course, you have to make your game plan while respecting the opposition and keeping the conditions in mind."

The former Indian spinner added:

"You stick to your game plan for just one match and you see something else happening in the next match, some more changes happening, Shardul Thakur was not playing in this team. So it is beyond my understanding. It will not work out if you make changes in every match."

KKR traded in Shardul Thakur for a whopping ₹10.75 crore from the Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2023 auction. However, the seam-bowling all-rounder was sidelined after five games despite playing a match-defining knock against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, with Kulwant Khejroliya preferred ahead of him.

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"You have to back your players" - Harbhajan Singh wants KKR to give Nitish Rana free rein

Nitish Rana was handed the Kolkata Knight Riders' reins in Shreyas Iyer's absence. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Harbhajan Singh pointed out that players shouldn't be under pressure to perform to retain their spots, explaining:

"You have to back your players so that they feel that it is their team and that they will get chances to perform. They shouldn't be worried that if they get out, they might not get a chance in the next match. You need to give that comfort."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by opining that KKR should give as much freedom to Nitish Rana to pick his side as CSK give to MS Dhoni, stating:

"There the role of the captain and the management becomes huge. In CSK, Dhoni has full support to do whatever he wants. They have so much faith in this captain and that faith is earned. Similarly, if they give Nitish a little free hand so that he can form the team he wants, a lot of things can be solved."

KKR have made a plethora of changes, especially to their opening pair in their seven games thus far.

Litton Das was dropped for the clash against CSK after just one failure, with Narayan Jagadeesan brought back to open alongside Jason Roy. Unfortunately, they were forced to open with Sunil Narine as Roy was indisposed due to an injury suffered while fielding and came out to bat only at No. 5.