IPL 13: New KKR captain Eoin Morgan praises 'incredibly selfless' Karthik

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan said he was surprised after Dinesh Karthik decided to hand over the leadership role to him and praised the latter's "incredibly selfless" act of putting the team first.

"I was surprised as everybody a little. DK informed us yesterday that he would like to step back and focus on his batting as he feels it is the best option for the team. I think it is incredibly self-less and it also shows a lot of courage from him to do that, putting the team first ahead of him being skipper," Morgan said in a video posted by iplt20.com.

"I am delighted to continue the leadership role within the side. We are half-way through the tournament and we have shown some potential, haven't quite achieved the majority of it yet. Tonight will be another good test," he added.

Karthik handed over the captaincy to Morgan to 'focus on his batting' after experiencing a poor run with the bat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

"Dinesh Karthik has informed the KKR management that with a view to focusing on his batting and contributing more to the team's cause, he wished to hand over the captaincy to Eoin Morgan," KKR said in a statement on Friday.

Karthik just scored 108 runs in the seven games so far and struggled to find a form with the bat.

KKR are in fourth place with four wins and three defeats. They will take on Mumbai Indians today at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.