Published 15:07 IST, November 18th 2020
Ajit Agarkar suspects 'something was wrong' in the Kolkata camp during Dream11 IPL 2020
Ex-Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar is of the opinion that something was amiss in the Kolkata camp, which led to their underwhelming Dream11 IPL 2020 performance.
The recently concluded 13th edition of the Dream11 Indian Premier League proved to be a blockbuster one. The season saw all the franchises battle it out in a closely fought contest in an attempt to keep their championship aspirations alive. The Kolkata side particularly caught the eye of the cricket pundits as well as the masses for their strategies in the competition. A former India cricketer suspects there were certain issues amongst the camp that led to their underwhelming performance in the league.
Kolkata IPL team: Ajit Agarkar feels something was amiss for the two-time champions this year
The ex-Indian cricketer spoke about the performances of several teams in the latest edition of the cash-rich league on Star Sports' Cricket Connected program. Speaking on how Kolkata fared this season, Ajit Agarkar hopes that they learn from their blunders and stage a turnaround in the upcoming edition. He opined that despite having a star-studded side with proven players of the format, the Kolkata IPL team failed to make a mark this year.
Ajit Agarkar believes all might not be too well in the camp, which also translated in the field as they failed to make it to the playoffs. He feels that with established T20 specialists in their camp, their inconsistent performance was not acceptable. Dinesh Karthik, who led the team in the first half, decided to step down from his position, only for England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan to fill his shoes in the mid-season. This also did not go down well with Ajit Agarkar.
The 42-year-old is of the opinion that several issues in the camp triggered the captaincy change in the middle of the season. He hopes the unit put up a stronger show in the subsequent season and become more consistent in their performances. Agarkar also stresses the fact that the team needs to identify a leader before the commencement of the season and should persist with him.
How did the Kolkata IPL team fare in the 13th edition?
The team that started off as one of the favorites to clinch the championship, somewhere lost their track in the middle. Several notable additions were made in the think tank as well with the introduction of a new head coach in the form of Brendon McCullum. The team boasted of a potent batting order with Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana, and Shubman Gill in their line-up. The inclusion of Pat Cummins added the much-needed firepower to their fast bowling unit as well.
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However, the side visibly struggled in winning matches consistently. Out of their 14 matches in the season, they managed to win 7. Kolkata were one of the front-runners to finish in the top four towards the business end but finished at fifth. They have a lot to ponder upon after their dismal campaign and will look to bounce back strongly in the 14th edition of the Dream11 Indian Premier League.
Image source: Ajit Agarkar Instagram
Updated 15:07 IST, November 18th 2020