One captaincy blunder of each captain in IPL 2020

6) Eoin Morgan – Not bowling Lockie Ferguson in powerplays

The Kolkata Knight Riders are in a pickle after their narrow loss to CSK as their qualifying chances have taken a major hit. And it is only going to get tougher for them, as now they will pit against an in-form Rajasthan Royals team in their final league game. It is a do-or-die clash for them. As if that’s not enough, they will have to win that game with a big margin as their net run rate is the worst amongst the teams vying for the playoffs spot.

For Kolkata, it has been a season full of challenges. From injuries to key players to change in captaincy halfway through the tournament, they have been sailing in choppy waters for most of the season. To go with it, some of their stars also haven’t performed to their potential. Besides, they also made a mistake of not utilizing a player of Lockie Ferguson’s caliber. And when they finally included him in the playing XI, then their skipper, Eoin Morgan, messed it up.

Eoin is known for his attacking captaincy, a quality which helped England win their maiden 50-overs World Cup. But somehow, he hasn’t used the same approach in his IPL captaincy stint. And it is evident from his use of Lockie Ferguson. Instead of giving him the new ball, the skipper reserves him for the middle-overs and the dead ones. Till now, the Kiwi pacer has played five games in IPL 2020, and he has not bowled a single over in powerplays. It appears as if Morgan considers him as a ‘hit the deck’ bowler, and that has robbed the team of crucial wickets in the first six overs. It is surely an error of judgment from an established skipper like him.