Narayan Jagadeesan reveals Chandrakant Pandit's ugly behaviour

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has kicked off in style, with teams battling it out on the field and some intriguing behind-the-scenes stories. One such story that has caught the attention is the revelation by former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cricketer Narayan Jagadeesan about an incident involving KKR's head coach Chandrakant Pandit.

Chandrakant Pandit, known for his no-nonsense approach and disciplinarian style, has been part of the support staff of KKR since the previous season. His coaching methods have often been a topic of discussion.

The latest revelation came during the ongoing IPL 2024 match between KKR and Delhi Capitals (DC) in Visakhapatnam. N Jagadeesan shared an interesting story about Pandit's reaction when Varun Chakravarthy inadvertently wore a full-sleeved shirt on a day designated for sleeveless attire in the previous season.

“Last year in KKR camp Chandrakant Pandit said that day was sleeveless day and that day Varun (Chakravarty) wore full sleeves accidentally. Chandrakant Pandit called him aside and tore the shirt to sleeveless with scissors,” N Jagadeesan said during Tamil Commentary with Star Sports.

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Earlier, former KKR all-rounder David Wiese had termed Pandit's coaching style as "very strict" and "disciplinarian," stating that some overseas players found it tough to accept his directives on behavior and attire.

"He (Pandit) is known in India as a very militant type of coach. He is very strict, very disciplinarian, and that type of stuff. Sometimes in franchise cricket, when you have overseas guys, who've played all over the world, they don't need anyone coming and telling them how they need to behave, what they need to wear, and what they need to do the whole time. So, that was tough,” Wiese had said on the podcast 'Hitman for Hire: A Year in the Life of a Franchise Cricketer'.

KKR, after opting to bat first against Delhi Capitals, posted a giant total of 272/7, their highest and second-highest in IPL history. Sunil Narine's brilliant 85 off 39 balls propelled them to 88 runs after the powerplay. Angkrish Raghuvanshi (54), Andre Russell (41), and Rinku Singh (26) also contributed significantly. Chasing this daunting target, the hosts got off to a poor start as KKR bowlers maintained relentless pressure, eventually bundling them out for 166. Rishabh Pant and Tristan Stubbs scored the fifties, but their efforts were in vain as KKR won by a massive 106 runs. With three consecutive wins, KKR now finds themselves atop the table.