Kolkata Knight Riders have started their 2020 IPL campaign with a 49-run defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians at Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Wednesday. Mumbai Indians tore apart of KKR’ bowling line up as they posted a mammoth 195-run total in the first innings.
Kolkata Knight Riders, in reply, didn’t get off to a great start. Dinesh Karthik’s promotion didn’t work and T20 stalwarts, Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell combined to pile up just 27 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders ended up scoring 146 in 20 overs.
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins, who was bought for 15.5 crores in the auctions, has come under criticism for his disastrous spell of 4 overs in his first match of IPL 2020. The Australian fast bowler conceded 49 runs in 3 overs at an economy of 16.30.
However, the skipper Dinesh Karthik believes that it’s harsh to judge a player so early. The skipper emphasises that Cummins got the permission to bowl a few hours before that match and believes that he will make a strong comeback in the coming games.
“It is very unfair to judge him right now, he is just off quarantine and he got permission at 3:34 to play the match. We are happy to have him and I do not think this is the game where we need to judge him at all. He is a world champion bowler. I trust him completely and I am sure he will make a good comeback,” Karthik said in the post-match press conference.”
Kolkata Knight Riders will play their second game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
