Former Australia and KKR spinner Brad Hogg, on his YouTube channel, has been sharing his thoughts on the upcoming IPL 2020 season, which begins in the UAE from September 19 onwards. This time around, he talked about one major flaw in his former franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders’ armor.
He was opining about the IPL 2019 incident when Andre Russell slammed the KKR team management during a press conference, questioning their decision to have him bat down the order, despite him being in a purple patch.
KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik then looked upon the incident in an interview and said that he took what Russell said positively and mentioned that he discussed the details out with Russell after the episode and the two fixed the things between themselves.
However, Hogg feels that the tensions between the two players is one major flaw in the KKR team going into this year’s IPL.
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Hogg said: “What is the one flaw in this team? There is only one - the relationship between Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik. We can’t have Andre Russell come out in the media after the game and say we didn’t make the right decisions. That’s got to be done behind closed doors.”
He further said that head-coach Brendon McCullum will be instrumental in ensuring that the tensions between the two players do not escalate any further.
“Brendon McCullum has to make sure he rectifies that relationship, gets on top of it early, because, if there is a little bit of disharmony in this line-up, it can have a ripple effect in a bio-secure environment, and things can get out of hand very quickly,” Hogg said.
Next, Hogg talked about what may help the Knight Riders in the upcoming tournament and even lead them to the title as well.
“What is the edge for Kolkata Knight Riders? They have got specialists players in each role. They have got good fast bowlers, quality spinners, and a variety of batsmen who can do different roles. They have also got Sunil Narine in there. Yes, we know he can bowl a little bit of off-spin, but it’s his batting, versatility, that adds potency in this line-up,” Hogg said.
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“Because, he can open the batting, bat in the middle overs, also play some big shots at the end to finish off the innings. Also, they have got Andre Russell, who can bowl a little bit of medium pace. But that batting at the end is pure firepower. There is no boundary too big for him,” he said.
He called England’s Tom Banton the potential standout player from the franchise this season.
“The standout player of the team is going to be Tom Banton from England. He is going to lead the way, he is going to be the leading run-scorer for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He is going to be the top three best batsmen in the IPL this year. I think Kolkata Knight Riders will finish third. They may take out the IPL title during the final series,” Hogg signed off.
