Will KKR team give Dinesh Karthik perfect birthday gift? IPL 2021 update ups chances

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman and former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Dinesh Karthik celebrated his 36th birthday on Tuesday, June 1. The Tamil Nadu-based cricketer has been in the Indian cricketing circuit for a long time now and is a regular feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Karthik was recently seen in action in the 14th edition of the IPL which was suspended midway due to the emergence of COVID-19 cases in the tournament's bio-bubble.

Dinesh Karthik birthday: Will KKR team turn to TN superstar for captaincy again?

KKR have had a torrid start to their IPL 2021 campaign. Having played seven games, KKR could win only two and lost six matches. They are languishing at the penultimate spot in the points table with just four points to their name. However, KKR's miseries were further compounded recently after their skipper Eoin Morgan, Pat Cummins and Shakib al Hasan's participation in the remainder of the tournament came under question.

Considering England's tour of Bangladesh during UAE's leg of the IPL 2021, Eoin Morgan and Shakib al Hasan's participation in the IPL 2021 has been restricted by their respective cricketing boards. On the other hand, Cummins will reportedly not return to the franchise as well once the tournament resumes in September later this year due to a jam-packed Australia cricket schedule in 2021. 

With three leading players absent from the squad, the KKR team could be forced to turn towards Dinesh Karthik to lead the side. It is worth mentioning that Karthik, who was appointed as KKR's skipper in 2019, relinquished the captaincy duties midway during IPL 2020 with Morgan taking over from him. The reason behind Karthik's resignation was his poor form with the bat during the course of the tournament. On account of the Dinesh Karthik birthday, KKR can give him a special gift this year by reinstating him as the skipper of the team.

Dinesh Karthik stats in the IPL

In his overall IPL career, Dinesh Karthik has played a total of 203 matches while scoring a total of 3946 runs. His career-best IPL score is 97 with a strike rate of 129.88. Dinesh Karthik stats in the IPL 2021 season are below par. The wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 123 runs from 7 matches. His contributions with the bat would be key for KKR to make a comeback when the tournament resumes in the UAE in September this year.

Pat Cummins IPL 2021

The Pat Cummins IPL 2021 stint was a short but memorable one. In the seven matches he played, Cummins picked nine wickets at an average of 26.33 and an economy rate of 8.83. He also scored 93 runs at a blistering strike rate of 166.07 with the help of one fifty.

SOURCE: PTI