Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwari claimed that there is serious unrest inside the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dressing room during IPL 2026. Tiwary criticized the team environment under captain Ajinkya Rahane and urged the management to remove Cameron Green, saying the all-rounder was affecting the balance of the team.
Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday, April 14. They are currently at the bottom of the table after three defeats and no result. Knight Riders, captained by Ajinkya Rahane, need to make a comeback to stay in the race for the playoffs.
Team atmosphere is not good – Manoj Tiwari on Ajinkya Rahane’s KKR
Manoj Tiwari said that Rahane’s blunt comment about Cameron Green’s bowling shows that there are some issues inside the dressing room. Tiwary was unhappy with his bowling against Lucknow Super Giants and questioned Green’s effectiveness.
Tiwary said on Cricbuzz, “The bowlers did not perform well against LSG. I was very disappointed with the way Cameron Green was bowling his overs. There is a lot of responsibility on Cameron Green, they have invested a lot in him, have taken him at a high price. The expectation was that he would come and bowl 140 kmph and trouble the batsmen. But he was hardly effective.”
Tiwari said, “This was also reflected in the captain’s statement, when he had earlier talked about asking Cricket Australia. When such things happen, it indicates that the atmosphere of the team is not right, it is visible on the field in the form of performance.”
Cameron Green is not batting in the same flow – Manoj Tiwari
Cameron Green has struggled to justify his lofty price tag after coming into the tournament with poor form. He scored just 24 runs in his first three innings before scoring an unbeaten 32 against Lucknow Super Giants, who still looked unconvincing.
Manoj Tiwari said that Kolkata Knight Riders should fix their team combination and give a chance to the Indian players waiting on the bench. He believes that Green is not batting with the same confidence as before.
Tiwary said, “You have to get the combinations right now. Cameron Green is not batting in the flow that we saw when he played for Australia. Barring one or two IPL innings, that kind of rhythm is not seen. It is better that you give a chance to the new Indian batsmen who are not getting a chance like Rinku Singh or Ramandeep Singh or any other emerging batsman.”
What is the need to play his character – Manoj Tiwari
Cameron Green, who had not bowled earlier, finally bowled two overs against Lucknow Super Giants. He dismissed Rishabh Pant early but gave away 28 runs including three fours in the final over, which proved costly for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Manoj Tiwari raised the question why players with poor form are selected on the basis of reputation or price. He said that teams should not select players just because they are expensive or famous.
Tiwari said, “What is the need to play him just on the basis of name or reputation? Just because you are giving him Rs 24 crore, it is not necessary that he should be played in all the games.”
Green also has a poor record at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, scoring only 65 runs in three IPL matches at an average of 21.67 and a strike rate of 132.65, with his best score being 41.
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