In a recent podcast titled ‘Hitman for Hire: A year in the life of a franchise cricketer,’ Wiese, who featured in three IPL games for KKR in 2023, expressed foreign players’ discontentment at Pandit’s “militant” approach.
“He (Pandit) is known in India as a very militant type of coach. He is very strict, very disciplinarian that type of stuff. Sometimes in franchise cricket, when you have overseas guys, who’ve played all over the world, they don’t need anyone coming and telling them how they need to behave, what they need to wear and what they need to do the whole time. So, that was tough,” remarked Wiese.
Pandit assumed the role of KKR’s head coach in 2022 following Brendon McCullum’s departure. Despite Pandit’s impressive coaching credentials, including guiding Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh to Ranji Trophy titles, his methods were met with resistance from certain players within the KKR camp.
Wiese revealed that Pandit’s coaching style caused tension in the changing room, saying, “He liked to do things a certain way and that didn’t sit well with certain players. It caused a little bit of tension in the changing room.
“Guys were frustrated, there was a lot that changed over the last couple of years (when McCullum was around) and the new coach brought in some new things that he though would bring success to us.”
Reflecting on KKR’s disappointing performance in IPL 2023, where they finished seventh, Wiese expressed frustration at not receiving sufficient opportunities to showcase his talent despite playing three matches. He highlighted, “I’m like ‘listen it’s your circus, you run the show. End of the day, I am here just to play. If you tell me to do this, I’ll do it’. I’m not the guy who’s going to bump heads or anything. But there are certain players who are a bit more stubborn than me.”
“That frustration was more because of the fact that I played those games. I didn’t really get the opportunity to do much. I did hit a couple of sixes but didn’t really get the opportunity to showcase my skills there, and never got picked again in the team that was struggling with players,” he added.
Furthermore, Wiese shared his discomfort with certain dressing room traditions, particularly the practice of smashing cake on someone’s birthday. He described it as “stupid and annoying,” expressing his preference to avoid such rituals.
Despite the challenges faced during his stint with KKR, Wiese maintained a pragmatic outlook and continued to focus on his role as a player. He emphasized the importance of adapting to different environments while navigating the complexities of franchise cricket.
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