IPL 2018: KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik’s expression of gratitude

Prior to the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL), Dinesh Karthik was appointed as the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The decision turned out to be effective for the franchise as they managed to finish third in the points table after the round-robin phase. Albeit they couldn’t win the championship, they had a lot of positives to take away from the tournament.

The team commenced with a thumping victory over the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Eden Gardens. However, they had a stop-start season in the tournament. Throughout the league stage, the hung in the middle of the table and were in danger of being ousted from the cash-rich event. Nevertheless, they won three matches on the trot in the end to cement their berth in the playoffs.

Kolkata’s impressive run

In the Eliminator, they found themselves in quite a bit of trouble versus the Rajasthan Royals (RR), but some brilliant bowling ensured that the team makes a comeback and move into the Qualifier 2 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). They had the lid over the Orange Army for a chunk of the game, but Rashid Khan’s all-round brilliance meant that the Men in Gold and Purple stumble at the finishing line.

Dinesh Karthik, both as a skipper and a batsman, was phenomenal. He was a recipient to quite some criticisms initially. However, he didn’t allow them to unnerve him. Rather, he stood tall to the challenges and helped KKR surge forward. He also turned out to be their leading run-scorer with 498 runs from 16 matches at a healthy average of 49.80.

He mostly batted in the lower middle-order and albeit he didn’t get a massive score under his belt, Karthik ensured that he helped his team make utilisation of the death overs. Following their impressive campaign, the KKR skipper took to Twitter and thanked everyone for their tireless contribution.

He expressed his gratitude towards Shah Rukh Khan, Jay Mehta, the owners, Star Sports, the official broadcasters and the supporters for staying with them through thick and thin.

Here is Karthik’s post  

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