Karthik steps down, Morgan to take charge of KKR

In a bid to focus on his batting and contribute more to the team’s cause, Dinesh Karthik has informed the KKR management that he wishes to handover the team's captaincy to Eoin Morgan.

In a statement on the franchise website, Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR said: “We are fortunate to have leaders such as DK, who has always put the team first. It takes a lot of courage for someone like him to take a decision such as this. While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes.

"We are also fortunate that Eoin Morgan, the 2019 World Cup-winning captain, who has been the vice-captain, is willing to lead the side going forward. DK and Eoin have worked brilliantly together during this tournament and although Eoin takes over as captain, this is effectively a role swap and we expect that this transition will work in a seamless manner. On behalf of everyone at Kolkata Knight Riders, we thank DK for all his contributions as the captain over the past two and a half years and wish Eoin the very best going forward.”

Wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik has managed to score 108 runs in seven innings this season and informed the team that he wanted to give up the captaincy to focus on getting more runs.

The Knight Riders, coached by former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, are fourth on the points table with four wins and three losses and will meet Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians later on Friday in Abu Dhabi.