Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik

Kolkata Knight Riders sprung a big surprise by announcing Dinesh Karthik as their skipper for the upcoming season.

The franchise announced the big news on Sunday (March 4). The 32-year-old, who was picked up by Knight Riders for INR 7.4 Crore in this year’s mega-auction, and was one of the front-runners to lead the side.

He had led Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket. The right-handed batsman led Tamil Nadu to a title triumph in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2009-10.

He was also the captain of the India Red side that won the Duleep Trophy last year.

In T20s, the Tamil Nadu man led TUTI Patriots to the Tamil Nadu Premier League title in the 2016 edition.

Meanwhile, Twitter was quick to react to the decision and as expected the decisions were mixed. Here are some of the reactions.

https://twitter.com/ImAbhishek7_/status/970157402686308352?

https://twitter.com/Sajjanlaunda/status/970152402966822912?

https://twitter.com/JoySRKian_/status/970164470596108289

Meanwhile, Karthik expressed his delight over the new role, saying it is an honour to lead the side.

“It is an honour to represent Kolkata Knight Riders, one of the most successful franchises in the IPL and I look forward to this new challenge. I am excited about the squad that has been assembled, which has a great combination of experience and youth. I will do my best to represent brand KKR and the millions of KKR fans,” the newly appointed captain said.

The Knight Riders are one of the most dominating teams in the league. The Kolkata-based franchise has won the IPL twice since 2011 and Karthik will be looking to continue the same trend.

An avid cricket lover, I just love this game more than anything. Writing about cricket keeps me closer to the game.