IPL 2021: [Watch] Dinesh Karthik has his first net session with KKR; says they want to win 6 out of 7 matches in the second half

Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik has completed his quarantine upon arrival in Abu Dhabi and has started his preparations in the nets ahead of the second phase of IPL 2021. Before arriving in UAE, Dinesh Karthik had been working as a commentator for Sky Sports during the first three Tests between India and England.

The Kolkata franchise informed their fans about Dinesh Karthik's first net session in UAE by sharing a video on their official Instagram handle. Dinesh Karthik also spoke a few words before he faced deliveries in the nets. He said:

"Look, I think last year when we were in UAE, we missed it by a whisker. We won as many matches as the last team(fourth-placed team) had won but still just missed it by a whisker. Two years on the trot, we've been fifth on the table. That's something that still gnaws at me."

Kolkata Knight Riders shared the following post and captioned it:

Back in 💜💛 with a clear goal in mind! 🎯 "𝙒𝙚'𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙖 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙙" 💪🏻 @dk00019 #KKR #Cricket #IPL2021

You can watch the video below:

The two-time IPL champions are currently seventh in the IPL table with just four points from seven games.

---

We want to win 6 out of 7, It's as simple as that: Dinesh Karthik on KKR's plans for UAE leg of IPL

Dinesh Karthik spoke about KKR's misfortunes over the last few years with them finishing fifth in 2020 and 2019. Karthik also emphasized the importance of taking one game at a time in the second half of the IPL. He then signed off by saying that the KKR side would make its fans proud with good performances in UAE. Karthik said:

"Purple and gold is the place I want to be in exactly. I am happy to be back. Overall, as a team, I think we are in a decent space. We need to gel together as a group and make a difference this time."

"We want to win 6 out of 7. It's as simple as that. If we want to qualify, 6 out of 7. As a team, that's what we will be looking to do. Take it one game at a time, but try and win 6 out of 7. Most importantly, KKR is known to play aggressive and positive cricket, and I want that to come through in the second half. I still think the team spirit is good. As fans, all I want to say is keep supporting us. We'll try and play the brand of cricket that will make you very proud."

KKR will begin their campaign in the second phase of the IPL with a clash against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 20 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.