Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik will hand over the reins to England’s World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan with immediate effect, the IPL franchise announced on Friday.

Karthik took the call in order to focus on his batting, the Indian Premier League side said in a statement.

“We are fortunate to have leaders such as DK, who has always put the team first. It takes a lot of courage for someone like him to take a decision such as this. While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes,” said Venky Mysore, the CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders.

“While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes,” Mysore added. Midway into IPL 2020, KKR are currently placed fourth in the points table having won four matches and lost three. 

“…DK and Eoin have worked brilliantly together during this tournament and although Eoin takes over as captain, this is effectively a role swap and we expect that this transition will work in a seamless manner,” Mysore said in the press release.

Mysore also thanked Karthik over his contribution for the team in the past two years. 

Mysore added, “On behalf of everyone at Kolkata Knight Riders, we thank DK for all his contributions as the captain over the past two and a half years and wish Eoin the very best going forward.”

The 35-year-old has recently drawn some flak over his team’s erratic performance in the tournament.