'Their performance hasn't been as good' - Yusuf Pathan critical of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine's KKR future

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders are enduring another troublesome campaign in the ongoing IPL 2023. They are currently eighth in the points table and are unlikely to make it to the knockout stages for a second-year running. Former Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan suggested KKR's team management should look beyond the underperforming Caribbean duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.

The Kolkata-based franchise finished in the seventh spot in last year's tournament and are likely to finish around the same position this time around as well, thanks to an underwhelming season in the 16th edition of the tournament. While KKR's bowling has been their Achilles' heel this year, experienced campaigners like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have not been at their best as well.

Former KKR all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, who was an integral part of the team's twin IPL titles, feels that his former team might need to look beyond the duo in the upcoming seasons. Pathan's statement was backed by the stats of the Caribbean duo, who are enduring their worst-ever season with the ball this term, falling well behind in the race for the IPL 2023 Purple Cup.

"We should see how Narine and Russell have performed in the last three years, or how many match-winning performances they have put in with bat or ball. As a team, what do you think? If you want to look ahead to the future and go to the next level, then you should surely think about it, because if you look at the last few seasons, their performance hasn't been as good," Pathan said on ESPNcricinfo's show T20 Time: Out Hindi.

Perhaps fatigue could be a reason as they play the entire year: Pathan

The former Indian cricketer was not able to understand the reason behind Russell and Narine's prolonged poor outings, as they have been proven match-winners for their side in the past. Although Pathan wasn't able to pinpoint the reason behind their failures, he reckoned maybe it was the fatigue of playing franchise cricket all around the year that was catching up to them.

"I don't think age should be a factor, because there are others of similar age who are still playing and are performing well too. I am not able to figure out what is going wrong. These two are your match-winners, and when your match-winners don't perform, your team struggles. Perhaps fatigue could be a reason as they play the entire year. Having said that, everyone wants and expects them to do well," he added.