Namibia all-rounder David Wiese, who was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad last season, has opened up on dressing room tensions between certain players and head coach Chandrakant Pandit. ‘Issues’ that are likely to have played a hand in a topsy turvy IPL season which saw the two-time champions finish seventh in the 10-team points table.
Speaking on Hitman for Hire: A year in the life of a franchise cricketer podcast, Wiese shared, “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.”
Adding up on the situation, Wiese added, “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.”
Having played five Test matches and 36 ODIs for India, Pandit made his mark as a coach in the Indian domestic setup, leading Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh to Ranji Trophy titles.Pandit was appointed as the KKR head coach ahead of the 2022 season, when he replaced Brendon McCullum who had led the franchise to the final in 2021 under the captainship of Eoin Morgan. The Knight Riders made a positive start to their campaign last week, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 4 runs in a closely-fought match in Kolkata. The side will now travel to Bengaluru for its second match of the season against the Royal Challengers, who also returned to winning ways on Monday with a dramatic victory over Punjab Kings.
