Picture Credit: X/IPL
Robin Uthappa spoke on KKR’s performance and leadership concerns: “KKR ended up in eighth position after being champions last year, so they have a lot of pieces to figure out. The fact that they've shelled out as much as they have for Venkatesh Iyer and not used him properly — or used him in positions that aren’t conducive to his strengths — gives you a lot to think about. A lot of realigning needs to happen. They need to do some deep work to figure out the direction they want to move in. With the kind of batters they have, notwithstanding Ajinkya Rahane’s performance, which way are they going to go? How much longer is Ajinkya Rahane going to lead KKR? This was his first season as captain, and they’ve finished eighth. I still believe they’re a really good side — they just haven’t played to their potential. There's been a lot of confusion.”
Sanjay Manjrekar commented on Klaasen’s performance and his strength against spin: “Klaasen always had a natural feel for playing spin. In South Africa, pitches don’t turn much, but this is someone who’s played a lot of first-class cricket. His average is around 40 to 50, which is very good in those conditions. So he’s a proper batter. To dominate spin, you have to be good on the back foot — and that’s what he is. Also, batters worldwide are getting better at playing spin because they’re coming to India more often. Look at teams like New Zealand, South Africa, and England. Gone are the days when they were sitting ducks against Indian spinners. Now you see more and more players like Klaasen.”
It all depends on his health and how he feels: Robin Uthappa on MS Dhoni's future in IPL
Robin Uthappa also spoke on MS Dhoni’s future in the TATA IPL: “It all depends on his health and how he feels. You have to understand that he really wants to play — the fire still burns. From what he said during the post-match presentation, it’s clear that the fire still burns to win championships, to play out there in the middle. Now it’s about going back and working on his body to bring it to the level he wants for the next IPL. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll call it before the mini-auction. If not, you’ll see a tweet or an Instagram post.”
Sanjay Manjrekar shared his thoughts on Punjab Kings' worry before the important match vs Mumbai Indians to seal the spot in the top two: “Punjab Kings’ batting looks good — that’s one area that’s fairly organised. Bowling is the worry. Let’s hope Chahal gets fit quickly because when you have someone like Omarzai bowling the 18th over and Stoinis the 20th, you leave yourself open to being defeated in tight matches. That’s an area they really need to work on.”
(With Inputs from Press Release)
