Kolkata Knight Riders neither retaining nor bidding for former captain Gautam Gambhir has come as a big surprise ahead of the eleventh season of the Indian Premier League. However, KKR CEO Venky Mysore clarified during the auction, that while Gambhir had been a part of their plan for IPL 2018, the batsman himself had requested Kolkata not to retain or bid for him.
Just to clarify, he was very much in our plans for the auction. But he had a conversation with us before, and felt that there may be a different challenge, we didn’t know what it was. He had requested us to refrain from bidding for him or using Right to Match.Venky Mysore, KKR CEO
Slated under the marquee group, Gambhir came into the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crore – the maximum for any player. Along with Delhi Daredevils, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab also bid for the Indian batsman. But Gambhir’s home team Delhi had the last laugh; he was finally sold for a price of Rs 2.8 crore.
“We didn’t come in the way of anyone’s progress or aspiration,” added Mysore.
We’re sorry to see him go after seven great years, but I think he’ll be fantastic for Delhi. Best wishes to him.Venky Mysore, KKR CEO
Gambhir to Captain Delhi?
Delhi Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua also hinted at the possibility of Gambhir now leading his new team. When asked whether they had found a captain for their franchise, he said:
He’s been captaining KKR and he’s captained Delhi Ranji team. I’ll leave it for the coach to decide, but he’s one of the top candidates.
“Really happy to have Gautam back, he’s been a Delhi boy all the way through. In between, he went to KKR and did wonders for them. He’s been the pillar and strength of Delhi cricket so we’re very happy to have him back home,” added Dua.
The 11th edition of the IPL will be held from 7 April to 27 May, with the tournament opener and final to be played in Mumbai. The opening ceremony will take place in Mumbai on 6 April.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)