Kolkata Knight Riders’ graph has been going upward since the last two seasons. After a decent IPL 2023, where KKR gave a good account of themselves despite several top stars missing, the side won the IPL 2024 defeating SunRisers Hyderabad in the final. Chandrakant Pandit has been a crucial factor in KKR winning its third IPL title. Known to be one of most successful coaches at the domestic level, Pandit has brought success to KKR since he was made the coach in 2022. 

However, a former KKR player David Wiese gave an interesting take on Pandit ahead of the IPL 2024. 

“There were certain issues going on behind the scenes in the team. Guys weren’t happy with certain things that were going on, and a lot of the times, it was a tough changing room. There was a new coach coming in and he liked to do things a certain way, and that didn’t sit well with the players,” David Wiese said ‘Hitman for Hire: A year in the life of a franchise cricketer’ podcast hosted by Sam Keir.

He went on to say that some of the KKR stars were frustrated under Chandrakant Pandit. 

“Guys were frustrated because a lot changed, and the coach brought in things that he thought would bring success. But as an overseas player, they sometimes don’t sit well. He’s known in India as a fairly militant type of coach, a strict disciplinarian. The overseas guys who’ve played all over the world don’t need someone coming in and telling him how to behave and what to wear and what to do. I was chill with it, but there were players more stubborn than me,” he added.

Now, England opener Philip Salt opened up about his “personal experience” of playing under Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. However, for Salt, it wasn’t the experience that he had under Chandrakant during his exploits with KKR in IPL 2024.

The 27-year-old lavished praise on Chandrakant for his remarkable coaching skills and revealed that he shares a “great relationship” with the KRK coach as well.

“That’s not my personal experience. I can say that you know we got on from day one. No, he’s a man that reads a room very well. He knows when to have an arm around you, knows when to pull your tail a bit. I think that’s now a trait that all good coaches have. You know, I’ve got a great relationship with him and still swap texts with him. You know, he watches a lot of cricket. He’s always in touch, so a great man,” Salt said during the CEAT Cricketing Rating Awards.

With his destructive approach from the opening front, Salt became a reliable figure for the Riders. He racked up 435 runs in 12 matches, averaging 39.55 while scoring runs effortlessly at a whopping strike rate of 182.01.

However, before KKR left their third IPL title, Salt was recalled by England for their series against Pakistan before the World Cup.

Salt left the KKR camp, and Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz was brought in as his replacement. The 27-year-old was left “disappointed” because he felt a job was left unfinished.

“I think if you put any work into a competition, especially the IPL. You want to play every game that’s what’s in you as a professional sportsman. I want to play the big games. I want to play all the high-pressure games and be in the high-pressure moments. That’s what it’s all about, you know. Obviously, I was disappointed to come so far and leave India feeling like I still had a job to do. But the boys picked up beautifully from where we left off and became deserving IPL champions,” Salt added.

Despite missing out on Salt’s services, KKR went on to lift the IPL title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.

With ANI inputs

Namibia all-rounder David Wiese has retired from international cricket after his teams final T20 World Cup group stage match against England on Sunday. Namibia’s camapign ended after their third group stage loss on Sunday to defending champion England. Their only win in the tournament came against Oman. After Wiese was dismissed by Jofra Archer in the final over of Namibia’s chase in a rain-curtailed match, he raised his helmet and bat to the crowd as he walked off before being greeted by his teammates, including captain Gerhard Erasmus, at the dugout.

“I mean, (the next) T20 World Cup is still two years away, I’m 39 years old now, so , in terms of international cricket, I don’t know if there’s much left in me,” Wiese said in the post match press conference. Obviously, I would still like to play the game for a couple more years, I feel like I’ve still got a lot to contribute and a lot to play,” he said.

“But I just feel like what better place to end a special career for me personally with Namibia. I’ve had a lot of good times with them and to play my last game for them possibly at a World Cup against a world-class team like England, it just seemed like the right time,” he added.

Wiese, who usually bats in the middle order, was promoted up the order to no. 3, smashed two sixes and a four in successive Adil Rashid in his 27 off 12 innings.

Originally from South Africa, Weise has played in three consecutive T20 World Cups for Namibia.

Wiese made his T20I debut for South Africa in 2013 and his ODI debut in 2015. He also represented the Proteas in the 2016 T20 World Cup. In 2021, he debuted for Namibia in the T20 World Cup and played a key role in their qualification for the Super 12s.

Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus too confirmed that Sunday’s game against England was Wiese’s last game for Namibia.

“Unfortunately it was his last game, which is a great moment for him to perform like that in his last game,” Eramus said in post match interview.

“Massive impact, in terms of the level of cricket he brought to our circle. He’s a great guy on the field in terms of performance but off the field he is someone we have really learned a lot from and he’s inspired us to new heights and greater heights,” the Namibia skipper said.