Former Kolkata Knight Riders player blames Chandrakant Pandit for tensions in IPL 2023

Namibia all-rounder, David Wiese, is one of the most sought after cricketers across the globe in different T20 leagues. He has also had IPL experience and was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders last season. He has now spoken about his time with KKR and shed light on tensions within the dressing room involving certain players and head coach Chandrakant Pandit. As per Wiese, these issues could have contributed to a tumultuous IPL season. KKR finished seventh in the 10-team points table.

Speaking on the podcast, ‘Hitman for Hire: A Year in the Life of a Franchise Cricketer,’ he said, “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.”

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He further said that there were several players who were frustrated since the coach introduced significant changes aimed at achieving success, but few of these changes were not very welcome by overseas players.

“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.

Pandit is a very successful coach in the Indian domestic setup. He guided Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh to Ranji Trophy triumphs and was then appointed KKR head coach ahead of the 2022 season. He succeeded Brendon McCullum, who had previously guided the side to IPL final in 2021.

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This season, KKR started their campaign with a narrow four-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their season opener at Eden Gardens last Saturday. The franchise, who were champions in 2012 and 2014, will take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.