Abu Dhabi: Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik on Friday stepped down as captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders team, handing over the reins to his English deputy Eoin Morgan hours before the IPL match against Mumbai Indians here.

Karthik told the KKR management that he wants to focus on his batting and contributing more to the team's cause. Appointed skipper in 2018, the 35-year-old led KKR in 37 matches.

Dinesh Karthik"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," team CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.

"While we were surprised by his decision, we are respectful of his wishes."

Midway into the ongoing season, KKR find themselves at fourth place in the points table with four wins and three losses.

"...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.

Eoin Morgan

"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."

Even though Mysore termed Karthik's decision surprising, the move was always on the cards with a World Cup-winning captain in the mix.

If KKR has won four games so far, it could well have been half as they had two miraculous escapes against Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab, matches where it was more about opposition losing than KKR winning.