Delhi Daredevils appoint Gautam Gambhir as captain
While it wasn’t surprising that Gautam Gambhir was going to lead his hometown after declining an offer from KKR, Delhi Daredevils have now acknowledged the fans and made it official. The southpaw was sold for a meagre INR 2.8 crore at the mega-auction, which is considered a brilliant deal by many.
It was after seven years that Kolkata Knight Riders had decided to part ways with their most successful captain, who won them two titles, and his next destination was hardly a suspense for anyone. After the mega-auction, KKR owner Venky Mysore had even clarified that Gambhir had insisted on returning to Delhi, with whom he had started IPL and had played three seasons.
Indeed, the DD coach, Ricky Ponting, had hinted that Gambhir would be named captain soon after the auction, and the Delhi-based franchise made it official today.
"I'm privileged to be captaining Delhi Daredevils. It is always great to come back home, where you started your IPL career, cricketing career as well. Hopefully, this is the place I'm going to finish as well. So,
Delhi Daredevils, who haven’t managed to win the title in its 10 years of existence, would hope for a change in fortunes after getting a veteran like Gambhir to the side. The southpaw has 4132 runs in IPL at an average of 31.78. It was his brilliant campaign in 2012 that won KKR their first title, where he had amassed 590 runs at an average of 39.33.
Though 36, Gambhir has hardly lost his sharpness with the bat. Last season, he ended the campaign with 498 runs at an average of 41.5. And now, with the likes of Trent Boult, Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Morris also playing with him, Gambhir will hope to clinch the title for the third time in the last six years.