IPL 2020: 'It has been said that Dinesh Karthik gave up the KKR captaincy, but would he have done that?' - Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has suggested that Dinesh Karthik is unlikely to have voluntarily stepped down as captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

He made this observation while reviewing the Kolkata-based franchise's IPL 2020 performances in a video shared on his Facebook page.

Aakash Chopra started by stating that KKR would have reached the IPL 2020 playoffs had they replicated their results from the first half of the tournament in the second half.

"Firstly, I am disappointed because when you win four of your first seven matches and if you replicate that performance, then you are through, eight victories were more than enough for you to qualify. Delhi actually came second with 16 points."

The reputed commentator expressed his doubts about Dinesh Karthik having given up the KKR captaincy on his own.

"So if things go bad from there, you change the captaincy halfway, it has been said that Dinesh Karthik gave up the KKR captaincy but would he have done that?"

He also questioned if KKR's performances improved with Eoin Morgan at the helm and if the England limited-overs skipper is the right man for the job.

"Did the team's performances improve after the captaincy was handed over to Eoin Morgan? Is Eoin Morgan the right captain will also be a big question because he is an overseas player and is he right in terms of his tactics and is he a 100% certainty in the team although his performance was good at the end."

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Aakash Chopra reviews KKR players' individual performances in IPL 2020

Aakash Chopra picked Varun Chakravarthy as the biggest positive for KKR in IPL 2020 [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra named Varun Chakravarthy as the biggest gain for KKR in IPL 2020, with the mystery spinner's excellent performances even earning him an India call up.

"Talking about the positives, Varun Chakravarthy was absolutely phenomenal. He was used very well. Sometimes we were all surprised and wanted him to ball earlier but they were doing the right thing. He took 5 wickets in an encounter and his name even came in the Indian team."

Sensational stuff!! #VarunChakravarthy unbelievable bowling, 5 wickets in @IPL. Best bowling figure in this #IPL2020 @KKRiders #KKRvDC

— Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R) October 24, 2020

He observed that Shubman Gill did a decent job for KKR at the top of the order but was quick to add that the Punjab batsman could have performed even better.

"I had a little more expectation from Shubman Gill but just because he has played for India we shouldn't expect him to score 600-700 runs at a very good strike rate but whatever he did was not do that bad, he is still young."

The former KKR player pointed out that Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti showed promise, with Prasidh Krishna not getting enough opportunities.

"The two young fast bowlers, Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti, were impressive although Prasidh Krishna could have been played a little more."

He added that Nitish Rana was not consistent through the season and that the lack of runs from Dinesh Karthik's willow was a huge concern for KKR.

"Nitish Rana had an up and down season which is a problem. Dinesh Karthik's batting form was a concern as well because he was made the captain and when he does not do well, the team also does not do well."

Aakash Chopra signed off by stating that KKR did not deliver to expectations, considering the number of big-ticket players in their lineup.

"So, I would say that the glass was half empty rather than half full as they couldn't qualify the last year and this year as well. They play with such big names but the performance is not that good"

The Kolkata Knight Riders finished their IPL 2020 campaign at the fifth spot in the points table, thereby failing to make it through to the playoffs. Although they had the same number of points as the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the two teams pipped them to a spot in the knockout stages thanks to their superior net run rates.