N Coulter-Nile IPL 2020: Why is James Pattinson not playing today’s IPL 2020 match vs KKR?

James Pattinson: The Australian speedster has been rested after impressing one and all in the ongoing IPL 2020.

During the 32nd match of the ongoing 13th season of the Indian Premier League between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan has won the toss and chose to bat.

Having made a couple of changes to their Playing XI, Knight Riders have included debutant Chris Green and pacer Shivam Mavi for opening batsman Tom Banton and pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti.

“We are gonna bat first. The wicket looks good, hopefully we can get good score on the board. It [captaincy change] all happened yesterday. DK [Dinesh Karthik] came to myself and head coaches, decided it is better for the team and he also needs to focus on his batting. It just shows the culture we’ve created,” Morgan said during the toss.

Why is James Pattinson not playing today’s IPL 2020 match vs KKR?

Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, have made only their second change of the season by swapping Australian fast bowler James Pattinson with Nathan Coulter-Nile.

In seven IPL 2020 matches, Pattinson had picked nine wickets at an average of 24, an economy rate of 8.25 and a strike rate of 17.44. While his performance wasn’t a concern at all for Indians, Pattinson has been rested to manage his workload.

“We had a great last game here, it’s another challenge to come out and chase a target. It gives us another opportunity to come out and express ourselves. It is important to make sure everyone are fresh, not playing for a long period is easy for players to get injured.

“We have one change. James Pattinson misses out and Nathan Coulter-Nile comes in. We are managing the workload and that’s the thought behind it,” Sharma said during the toss.

Coulter-Nile, who had made his IPL debut for Mumbai in 2013, was once again bought by them before IPL 2020. Having entered the auction with a base price of INR 1 crore, the 33-year old player allured a whopping INR 8-crore price tag.

Over the year, Coulter-Nile has represented Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. In 26 T20s in the biggest T20 league, Coulter-Nile has picked 36 wickets at an average of 19.97, an economy rate of 7.66 and a strike rate of 15.64.