Robin Uthappa reveals big KKR fallout story, decodes reason for CSK being more successful

Chennai Super Kings traded Robin Uthappa from Rajasthan Royals ahead of the IPL 2021 auction. The explosive opener is an IPL veteran who has played for multiple franchises throughout in the lucrative league. However, his most memorable stint was with the Kolkata Knight Riders. 

Robin Uthappa opens up on lack of cl Uear communication during his stint with KKR

Uthappa played six years for KKR with his maiden season in 2014 being the most fruitful where he won the Orange Cap after scoring  660 runs in 16 games and was instrumental in helping the franchise lift their second IPL trophy. Recently, during a chat with ESPNCricinfo, Robin Uthappa spoke in length about his IPL career. During the conversation, the veteran batsman revealed the reason behind his loss of form in his latter years with KKR and also opened up on what makes the MS Dhoni-led CSK side so successful in the competition.

Speaking about the reason he was made to bat in the middle-order for KKR, Uthappa claimed that one of the reasons he was moved down to No.3 was because the franchise wanted to get off to explosive starts, which was the communication that was given to him. He added that when youngster Shubman Gill came into the fray, in 2019, he was batting at No. 7 and KKR wanted to ease him in.

Uthappa further said that somewhere down the line in that tournament, there was a big communication gap. He revealed that suddenly, the night before a game, the KKR team management told him that he is batting at No. 4. According to the Karnataka-born cricketer, that changed the whole scenario because batting in the top three and batting from four down involve having different mindsets and skillsets too.

Uthappa went on to reveal that during a game against CSK, he got out to the first ball while trying to hit the ball which he felt was there to be hit. He added that subsequently he got dropped from the team. Uthappa reckoned that there was no communication as to why he was dropped and added that consequently, things kind of went south. 

The right-hander stated that automatically Shubman Gill came in at No. 3, did well, and progressed to opening the batting. He also revealed that once the 2019 season got over, KKR head coach Brendon McCullum took over the side and informed him that the franchise was going to keep him, however, he disclosed that a day before the IPL 2020 auction, he got a call from the New Zealander saying that KKR are going to release him because they were moving in a different direction.

IPL 2021: Uthappa reveals what makes CSK team 2021 so successful

Uthappa opined that the reason why teams like CSK or Mumbai Indians are so successful is because of the kind of consistency that they have in their players. He added that they build a sense of security in the group and the players know that they are going to play at least six or seven games before a change. The 35-year old reckoned that something has to go drastically wrong for there to be a change, however, he lauded CSK and MI for giving a player at least five games before there's a change in the side.

According to Uthappa, when a team does that, players will do anything for the team because they are not focusing on their own performance, they are focusing on trying to win games for the team. Citing the example of CSK, Uthappa reiterated that even in a poor season like last year, the Men in Yellow didn't make a change in the first four or five games.

Uthappa gave the example of Shane Watson saying that in the 2019 season, the Australian just didn't get runs for 14 games but in the knockouts, he got a hundred and played an important role in them winning the 2018 IPL title. According to the cricketer, the faith in their players is what epitomises a team like CSK. Uthappa is likely to play as an opener himself for the CSK team 2021 under MS Dhoni.

SOURCE: IPLT20.COM