Kolkata Knight Riders didn't have a decent beginning to their Indian Premier League 2020 mission on Wednesday. The 2-time champions lost their initial match of the period by 49 rushes to protecting bosses Mumbai Indians at the Sheik Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The bowlers were taken to cleaners by Rohit Sharma and Co. with record marking Pat Cummins being the most costly bowler.
The Australian pacer was marked by KKR in the 2019 IPL auctions for a mammoth charge of Rs 15.5 crores. Yet, his first counterpart for KKR didn't turn out excessively well as he wound up surrendering 49 runs in four overs. He has come in for a great deal of analysis because of the large sticker price and his repressed presentation for the Kolkata-based side.
Be that as it may, KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik has come out to shield him. Karthik has supported Pat Cummins, who neglected to dazzle with the ball against Mumbai Indians, saying that the pacer is a "world champion" and will make a rebound. Karthik additionally uncovered that Cummins received authorization to play hours before the match began and said making a decision about the player after the main game's presentation will be "unfair".
“It is very unfair to judge him right now, he is just off quarantine and he got permission at 3:34 to play the match. We are happy to have him and I do not think this is the game where we need to judge him at all. He is a world champion bowler. I trust him completely and I am sure he will make a good comeback,” Karthik said in the post-match press conference.
The Australian pacer, Cummins, gave away 49 runs from just three overs in the match as Mumbai Indians posted a target of 196 runs for the Karthik-led side.
Mumbai Indians then easily defended the target, securing a 49-run victory in the match. Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma was at his devastating best as he played a knock of 80 runs from just 54 balls.
Reflecting on the batting order that KKR will be following in the upcoming matches, Karthik said: “It all depends on the game and the score that we are chasing and what we are doing at any point in time.”