During 2018 IPL, the first-ever season under Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata knight Riders had a memorable outing having finished third after losing Qualifier-2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad for a place in the summit clash. But the two-time IPL champion’s fortunes changed last year as they failed to make the playoffs for the first time since season eight having finished fifth despite being on-par with the fourth-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad and sixth-placed Kings XI Punjab in terms of points (12 each).

Having agonizingly missed out on the playoffs spot due to net run-rate in season twelve, the Shaw Rukh Khan co-owned franchise bolstered its squad at the 2020 IPL Auction held at Kolkata on December 19th. Having made quality domestic as well overseas signings like Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton and Pat Cummins, the squad looks formidable going into 2020 edition of the IPL.

Though Dinesh Karthik is all set to lead the side for the third consecutive season, let us look at three players who can lead KKR if he misses out due to injury or some other reasons during 2020 IPL.

Here are the three players:

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-225321" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sunil-Narine-KKR.jpg" alt="Sunil Narine" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-225321" class="wp-caption-text">Sunil Narine of the Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo by Carl Fourie/Gallo Images/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Sunil Narine joined Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of their victorious 2012 IPL campaign. The mystery spinner who is known for tormenting batsmen with his spin-web has been equally exceptional as an opening batsman for KKR- the role he assumed during the tenth edition of the league under the 2012 and 2014 IPL winning skipper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/i-have-a-lot-of-faith-in-mayank-agarwal-gautam-gambhir-hails-indian-test-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gautam Gambhir</a> who believed in Narine&#8217;s big-hitting abilities.

In the last three IPL seasons, the 31-year-old amassed 224 (2017), 357 (2018) and 143 (2019) runs at strike-rates of 172.30, 189.89 and 166.27 respectively. The vastly experienced T20 campaigner who has played for several teams in various T20 leagues across the globe has been an indispensable member of the Kolkata-based franchise since joining them in season five.

With 122 wickets at an economy of just 6.67, Narine has been one of the top performers in the cash-rich Indian Premier League. Given his experience and long association with Kolkata Knight Riders, it wouldn’t be a surprise to witness the Trinidad and Tobago spinner walking onto the pitch for the toss in case regular skipper misses out from the XI due to unavoidable circumstances.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-330024" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Andre-Russell.jpg" alt="Andre Russell" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-330024" class="wp-caption-text">Andre Russell. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption>

One of the vital cogs in the KKR set-up, the attacking all-rounder almost helped his team qualify for the playoffs last season with his heroics. Russell who won the Most Valuable Player award during 2015 IPL repeated the feat last season with his all-round exploits for Dinesh Karthik’s men having amassed 510 runs apart from picking up 11 wickets throughout season twelve.

Known for his explosive batting and lethal right-arm fast bowling, the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/west-indies-vs-india-rohit-sharma-lights-up-the-day-of-two-of-his-jamaican-fans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jamaican </a>who has played in various T20 leagues is a valuable asset when it comes to T20 cricket. In his first-ever match as the captain of Jamaica Tallawahs in 2018 Caribbean Premier League, Russell took a hat-trick and smashed the fastest century against Trinibago Knight Riders- a perfect example of his all-round credentials.

The 31-year-old who has 5290 runs and 290 wickets in 319 T20 appearances enjoys immense popularity among the entire IPL fraternity. Given his successful six-year stint so far with KKR, his massive connect with the fans of the City of Joy and his recent success at the 2019-20 Bangladesh Premier League where he led Rajshahi Royals to their first-ever title, Russell deserves to lead the Knight Riders in Dinesh Karthik’s absence.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-395454" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Eoin-Morgan.jpg" alt="Eoin Morgan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-395454" class="wp-caption-text">Eoin Morgan. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup-winning skipper will be the front-runner to replace Dinesh Karthik in case he is unavailable during 2020 IPL. For Morgan who began his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2010, it will be a return to the Eden Gardens where he spent three seasons (2011-2013) before moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab.

The southpaw who had a memorable 2019 World Cup campaign at home both as a batsman and as a captain amassed 371 runs for the hosts during the quadrennial event. An explosive batsman, the 33-year-old who has 6321 runs in T20 cricket will be hoping to make a mark in the IPL this time after being bought by KKR for whopping INR 5.25 crore at 2020 IPL auction.

Though a change in the captaincy was expected after Kolkata acquired the services of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ireland-vs-india-t20is-things-we-learned-from-the-two-matches-in-dublin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dublin</a>-born player especially with the team failing to reach the playoffs last year, Dinesh Karthik was retained as the skipper ahead of season thirteen. But given the leadership qualities and the amount of experience he brings into the squad, Morgan will be an automatic choice to lead the franchise in case the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman fails to make the XI this year.

During 2018 IPL, the first-ever season under Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata knight Riders had a memorable outing having finished third after losing Qualifier-2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad for a place in the summit clash. But the two-time IPL champion’s fortunes changed last year as they failed to make the playoffs for the first time since season eight having finished fifth despite being on-par with the fourth-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad and sixth-placed Kings XI Punjab in terms of points (12 each).
Having agonizingly missed out on the playoffs spot due to net run-rate in season twelve, the Shaw Rukh Khan co-owned franchise bolstered its squad at the 2020 IPL Auction held at Kolkata on December 19th. Having made quality domestic as well overseas signings like Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton and Pat Cummins, the squad looks formidable going into 2020 edition of the IPL.
Though Dinesh Karthik is all set to lead the side for the third consecutive season, let us look at three players who can lead KKR if he misses out due to injury or some other reasons during 2020 IPL.
Here are the three players:
<h3>3. Sunil Narine</h3>
<figure id="attachment_225321" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-225321" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-225321" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sunil-Narine-KKR.jpg" alt="Sunil Narine" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-225321" class="wp-caption-text">Sunil Narine of the Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo by Carl Fourie/Gallo Images/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Sunil Narine joined Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of their victorious 2012 IPL campaign. The mystery spinner who is known for tormenting batsmen with his spin-web has been equally exceptional as an opening batsman for KKR- the role he assumed during the tenth edition of the league under the 2012 and 2014 IPL winning skipper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/i-have-a-lot-of-faith-in-mayank-agarwal-gautam-gambhir-hails-indian-test-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gautam Gambhir</a> who believed in Narine’s big-hitting abilities.
In the last three IPL seasons, the 31-year-old amassed 224 (2017), 357 (2018) and 143 (2019) runs at strike-rates of 172.30, 189.89 and 166.27 respectively. The vastly experienced T20 campaigner who has played for several teams in various T20 leagues across the globe has been an indispensable member of the Kolkata-based franchise since joining them in season five.
With 122 wickets at an economy of just 6.67, Narine has been one of the top performers in the cash-rich Indian Premier League. Given his experience and long association with Kolkata Knight Riders, it wouldn’t be a surprise to witness the Trinidad and Tobago spinner walking onto the pitch for the toss in case regular skipper misses out from the XI due to unavoidable circumstances.

<h3>2. Andre Russell</h3>
<figure id="attachment_330024" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-330024" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-330024" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Andre-Russell.jpg" alt="Andre Russell" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-330024" class="wp-caption-text">Andre Russell. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
One of the vital cogs in the KKR set-up, the attacking all-rounder almost helped his team qualify for the playoffs last season with his heroics. Russell who won the Most Valuable Player award during 2015 IPL repeated the feat last season with his all-round exploits for Dinesh Karthik’s men having amassed 510 runs apart from picking up 11 wickets throughout season twelve.
Known for his explosive batting and lethal right-arm fast bowling, the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/west-indies-vs-india-rohit-sharma-lights-up-the-day-of-two-of-his-jamaican-fans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jamaican </a>who has played in various T20 leagues is a valuable asset when it comes to T20 cricket. In his first-ever match as the captain of Jamaica Tallawahs in 2018 Caribbean Premier League, Russell took a hat-trick and smashed the fastest century against Trinibago Knight Riders- a perfect example of his all-round credentials.
The 31-year-old who has 5290 runs and 290 wickets in 319 T20 appearances enjoys immense popularity among the entire IPL fraternity. Given his successful six-year stint so far with KKR, his massive connect with the fans of the City of Joy and his recent success at the 2019-20 Bangladesh Premier League where he led Rajshahi Royals to their first-ever title, Russell deserves to lead the Knight Riders in Dinesh Karthik’s absence.

<h3>1. Eoin Morgan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_395454" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-395454" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-395454" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Eoin-Morgan.jpg" alt="Eoin Morgan" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-395454" class="wp-caption-text">Eoin Morgan. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup-winning skipper will be the front-runner to replace Dinesh Karthik in case he is unavailable during 2020 IPL. For Morgan who began his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2010, it will be a return to the Eden Gardens where he spent three seasons (2011-2013) before moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab.
The southpaw who had a memorable 2019 World Cup campaign at home both as a batsman and as a captain amassed 371 runs for the hosts during the quadrennial event. An explosive batsman, the 33-year-old who has 6321 runs in T20 cricket will be hoping to make a mark in the IPL this time after being bought by KKR for whopping INR 5.25 crore at 2020 IPL auction.
Though a change in the captaincy was expected after Kolkata acquired the services of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ireland-vs-india-t20is-things-we-learned-from-the-two-matches-in-dublin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dublin</a>-born player especially with the team failing to reach the playoffs last year, Dinesh Karthik was retained as the skipper ahead of season thirteen. But given the leadership qualities and the amount of experience he brings into the squad, Morgan will be an automatic choice to lead the franchise in case the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman fails to make the XI this year.

During 2018 IPL, the first-ever season under Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata knight Riders had a memorable outing having finished third after losing Qualifier-2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad for a place in the summit clash. But the two-time IPL champion’s fortunes changed last year as they failed to make the playoffs for the first time since season eight having finished fifth despite being on-par with the fourth-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad and sixth-placed Kings XI Punjab in terms of points (12 each).
Having agonizingly missed out on the playoffs spot due to net run-rate in season twelve, the Shaw Rukh Khan co-owned franchise bolstered its squad at the 2020 IPL Auction held at Kolkata on December 19th. Having made quality domestic as well overseas signings like Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Eoin Morgan, Tom Banton and Pat Cummins, the squad looks formidable going into 2020 edition of the IPL.
Though Dinesh Karthik is all set to lead the side for the third consecutive season, let us look at three players who can lead KKR if he misses out due to injury or some other reasons during 2020 IPL.
Here are the three players:
<h3>3. Sunil Narine</h3>
<figure id="attachment_225321" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-225321" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-225321" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Sunil-Narine-KKR.jpg" alt="Sunil Narine" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-225321" class="wp-caption-text">Sunil Narine of the Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo by Carl Fourie/Gallo Images/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Sunil Narine joined Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of their victorious 2012 IPL campaign. The mystery spinner who is known for tormenting batsmen with his spin-web has been equally exceptional as an opening batsman for KKR- the role he assumed during the tenth edition of the league under the 2012 and 2014 IPL winning skipper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/i-have-a-lot-of-faith-in-mayank-agarwal-gautam-gambhir-hails-indian-test-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gautam Gambhir</a> who believed in Narine&#8217;s big-hitting abilities.
In the last three IPL seasons, the 31-year-old amassed 224 (2017), 357 (2018) and 143 (2019) runs at strike-rates of 172.30, 189.89 and 166.27 respectively. The vastly experienced T20 campaigner who has played for several teams in various T20 leagues across the globe has been an indispensable member of the Kolkata-based franchise since joining them in season five.
With 122 wickets at an economy of just 6.67, Narine has been one of the top performers in the cash-rich Indian Premier League. Given his experience and long association with Kolkata Knight Riders, it wouldn’t be a surprise to witness the Trinidad and Tobago spinner walking onto the pitch for the toss in case regular skipper misses out from the XI due to unavoidable circumstances.

<h3>2. Andre Russell</h3>
<figure id="attachment_330024" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-330024" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-330024" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Andre-Russell.jpg" alt="Andre Russell" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-330024" class="wp-caption-text">Andre Russell. (Photo: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
One of the vital cogs in the KKR set-up, the attacking all-rounder almost helped his team qualify for the playoffs last season with his heroics. Russell who won the Most Valuable Player award during 2015 IPL repeated the feat last season with his all-round exploits for Dinesh Karthik’s men having amassed 510 runs apart from picking up 11 wickets throughout season twelve.
Known for his explosive batting and lethal right-arm fast bowling, the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/west-indies-vs-india-rohit-sharma-lights-up-the-day-of-two-of-his-jamaican-fans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jamaican </a>who has played in various T20 leagues is a valuable asset when it comes to T20 cricket. In his first-ever match as the captain of Jamaica Tallawahs in 2018 Caribbean Premier League, Russell took a hat-trick and smashed the fastest century against Trinibago Knight Riders- a perfect example of his all-round credentials.
The 31-year-old who has 5290 runs and 290 wickets in 319 T20 appearances enjoys immense popularity among the entire IPL fraternity. Given his successful six-year stint so far with KKR, his massive connect with the fans of the City of Joy and his recent success at the 2019-20 Bangladesh Premier League where he led Rajshahi Royals to their first-ever title, Russell deserves to lead the Knight Riders in Dinesh Karthik’s absence.

<h3>1. Eoin Morgan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_395454" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-395454" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-395454" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Eoin-Morgan.jpg" alt="Eoin Morgan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-395454" class="wp-caption-text">Eoin Morgan. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup-winning skipper will be the front-runner to replace Dinesh Karthik in case he is unavailable during 2020 IPL. For Morgan who began his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2010, it will be a return to the Eden Gardens where he spent three seasons (2011-2013) before moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab.
The southpaw who had a memorable 2019 World Cup campaign at home both as a batsman and as a captain amassed 371 runs for the hosts during the quadrennial event. An explosive batsman, the 33-year-old who has 6321 runs in T20 cricket will be hoping to make a mark in the IPL this time after being bought by KKR for whopping INR 5.25 crore at 2020 IPL auction.
Though a change in the captaincy was expected after Kolkata acquired the services of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ireland-vs-india-t20is-things-we-learned-from-the-two-matches-in-dublin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dublin</a>-born player especially with the team failing to reach the playoffs last year, Dinesh Karthik was retained as the skipper ahead of season thirteen. But given the leadership qualities and the amount of experience he brings into the squad, Morgan will be an automatic choice to lead the franchise in case the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman fails to make the XI this year.

Having agonizingly missed out on the playoffs spot due to net run-rate in season twelve, the Shaw Rukh Khan co-owned franchise bolstered its squad at the 2020 IPL Auction.

IPL 2020: 3 players who can lead Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Dinesh Karthik’s absence

Though Dinesh Karthik is all set to lead the side for the third consecutive season, let us look at three players who can lead KKR.