Namibia international cricketer David Wiese, who represented Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season in a recent podcast revealed that ‘there were certain issues’ between the players in the dressing room and head coach Chandrakant Pandit.
“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 was quoted as saying on the Hitman for Hire: A year in the life of a franchise cricketer podcast.
“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.
Chandrakant Pandit, who represented India in five Test matches and 36 ODIs, has been one of the most successful domestic coaches in recent memory, having led Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh to Ranji Trophy titles.
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David Wiese also revealed that the players in the team started to focus on their own performances as and when it became clear that they would not qualify for the playoffs after a string of poor results.
“As the tournament goes on, you kind of sense whether you have a shot at qualifying or not. It’s not about whether you’re playing; it’s just about spending another couple of weeks away from family. For me personally, the result of the game didn’t matter that much, but I still got pulled into personal performances,” David Wiese said.
“As a player, you appreciate it when guys do well. Rinku Singh smacks five sixes – you can’t not appreciate that. It’s just that the result doesn’t have much emphasis anymore. You don’t sit there nervous about whether you’re going to win. And you start investing in the guys’ personal performances instead,” Wiese added.
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