IPL 2021 CSK vs KKR: It Would Be A Smart Call To Replace Dinesh Karthik, Reckons Sanjay Manjrekar

Cricketer turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar said that the Kolkata Knight Riders could replace their wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik in IPL 2021 final match against CSK.

KKR suffered a massive collapse in their chase against Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2 match on Wednesday.

Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan are almost like deadwood in the KKR team: Sanjay Manjrekar

From being in a commanding position of 123/1 at one stage, KKR’s batting order collapsed to 130/7 by 19.4 overs.

If not for Rahul Tripathi’s six over long-off against Ravichandran Ashwin on the penultimate ball of the match, KKR wouldn’t have qualified for the final.

Manjrekar singled out the batting form of Karthik and skipper Eoin Morgan, both went for ducks against DC.

The former Indian player reckoned that it would be a smart call to replace Dinesh Karthik in the final game.

“There are a couple of people who are almost like deadwood in the team. Dinesh Karthik is one and then there is Eoin Morgan, the captain. And I don’t think it will be a bad move to replace somebody like Dinesh Karthik who seems to be well past his prime both while keeping wickets and batting as well. If they do it, that will be a smart call,” Manjrekar said in a video posted on his official Instagram handle.

CSK shouldn’t get carried away with Robin Uthappa’s success: Sanjay Manjrekar

Robin Uthappa scored a brisk 63 against DC in Qualifier 1, playing only his third match in this season.

Manjrekar warned CSK that they shouldn’t get carried away with Uthappa’s success and rely much on him to score runs in the final.

“I don’t think they should get too carried away by the success of Robin Uthappa. MS Dhoni is smart enough to know that because that was more of an exception than the rule. They shouldn’t look to put too much faith in Robin Uthappa at Number 3 or Dhoni, who tried to promote himself in the last game. He should try to stick with what’s been a long-term success plan for them,” Manjrekar said.

CSK and KKR will play against each other in the final match on Friday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Also Read: IPL 2021: CSK Have A Slight Edge Over KKR Because Of MS Dhoni’s Leadership – Sanjay Manjrekar