Is Chandrakant Pandit a 'very militant type of coach'? Andre Russell opens up on Wiese's allegations

Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player David Wiese revealed the internal dynamics of the franchise's dressing room during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. He disclosed that certain actions and decisions made by head coach Chandrakant Pandit did not sit well with several players, leading to internal issues within the team. Chandrakant Pandit's traditional coaching methods came under fire, with reports suggesting that several players were discontented with his management style. Now, a year later, David Wiese has unveiled some startling revelations about the seasoned domestic coach.

Senior KKR all-rounder Andre Russell was asked about those allegations and he lent support to Pandit. Wiese, who now plies his trade for Namibia, claimed that many foreign players in the roster of KKR were frustrated by Pandit's tough style of functioning during last year’s IPL.

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However, Jamaican Russell, an integral part of KKR’s core group, sounded different.

“We’ve been working with him from last year. I think when you're working with a coach for the first time, you have to make sure that you adjust to their philosophy. There have to be rules. We are professionals. So, we don't complain,” said Russell during the pre-match press meet here.

“I try to do the best for this franchise. He's been doing an amazing job, and we've gotten coming back as well,” he added.

Pandit, who is known as a disciplinarian, had taken over as KKR coach ahead of IPL 2022 after Brendon McCullum accepted England’s head coach job.

“He (Pandit) is known in India as a very militant type of coach. He is very strict, very disciplinarian that type of stuff.

“Sometimes in franchise cricket, when you have overseas guys, who’ve played all over the world, they don’t need anyone coming and telling them how they need to behave, what they need to wear and what they need to do the whole time.

"So, that was tough,” said Wiese on the podcast ‘Hitman for Hire: A year in the life of a franchise cricketer’ recently. PTI UNG BS BS