“One gets up at 5 am and the other stays awake till 6 am”: Harbhajan on KKR coaches Chandrakant Pandit and Dwayne Bravo
Former spinner Harbhajan Singh pointed out the stark contrast between key members of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coaching staff. Following the departure of Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar, and Ryan ten Doeschate after the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, KKR made notable changes to their support team.
In a significant move during the off-season, KKR brought in Dwayne Bravo as a mentor. The former all-rounder, who has led Trinbago Knight Riders to multiple Caribbean Premier League titles and served as a coach for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20 (ILT20), is known for his vibrant lifestyle. This contrasts sharply with the philosophy of head coach Chandrakant Pandit, a disciplinarian with a reputation for maintaining a strict regime.
Harbhajan Singh noted that the relationship between these two figures could have a major impact on the team’s performance throughout the season.
“They have two very different personalities one who starts the day at 5 AM, and the other who stays up until 6 AM. It’ll be interesting to see how they come together and collaborate,” Harbhajan Singh shared with ESPN Cricinfo.
KKR have kept most of their batting core, including Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, while retaining Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine. Despite the departures of Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana, Ajinkya Rahane joins the team, with his captaincy confirmed but his batting position still unclear.
“Rahane will need to figure out his role in the batting lineup. With power hitters like Venky Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Andre Russell lower down, he can’t bat there. His best shot is at No. 3, as the opening spots are already secured,” Harbhajan commented.
“If KKR brought in Rahane solely for the captaincy, there are other candidates like Narine, Russell, or Venky who could have taken on that role. However, if KKR lose an early wicket, Rahane could be valuable. But if he bats after the 12th or 13th over, that’s not where he thrives,” he added.
KKR’s campaign will begin with the season-opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens on Friday, March 22.
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