IPL 2018 Auction: Why Gautam Gambhir may captain Delhi Daredevils in 2018
Gautam Gambhir has a terrific track record in the IPL playing as a captain for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He led his team to two title wins in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Kolkata Knight Riders failed to make it to the top half of the table in the first three seasons of the IPL but their fortunes changed after Gautam Gambhir was handed over the captaincy in the 2011 edition. In the seven seasons that he captained KKR, the team qualified five times for the playoffs and went on to lift the cup twice.
With Kolkata Knight Riders not retaining their former captain, Gautam Gambhir, it is all but clear that he is no more a preferred choice for the franchise. While five of the 8 participating teams have retained their former captains, the other three teams Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils and King XI Punjab will be looking for captaincy picks in the auction.
Delhi-born Gautam Gambhir has publicly shown his desire to play for his state team Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. While it was surprising to see Kolkata Knight Riders releasing a player who has such a good past with the team both as a captain and as a batsman, it is also rumored that Gambhir himself had asked Kolkata management to release him ahead of the IPL auction.
Only time will tell the actual truth, and all this will be put to rest only after his name comes up in the auction.
Why Delhi Daredevils will bid for him
Delhi Daredevils remain the only active team in the tournament who is yet to play in a final match. The team has had a poor run in the league, finishing at the bottom of the table thrice and second-last once.
The Delhi team has never had a settled unit, with their management releasing most of the big guns into the auction over the seasons. David Warner, AB de Villiers, Morne Morkel and Andre Russell are some big names who were not retained by the franchise in the previous seasons and went on to take their new teams to glory after shifting their bases.
Delhi Daredevils have also had a history to go all out for a particular player in the auction. They had bought Yuvraj Singh for a whopping Rs 16 crores, Angelo Mathews for Rs. 7.5 crores, Kevin Pietersen for Rs. 9 crores and Pawan Negi for Rs. 8.5 crores in the previous seasons.
Also, quite surprisingly, they retained Rishabh Pant this year, which deducts a whopping Rs. 15 crores from their purse. In this season's auction too, the Delhi team owners might not think twice about money and can go all out for Gautam Gambhir if they make up their minds to snap him up.
It will be interesting to see whether Kolkata bid for Gambhir or use their Right to Match card for him in the auction which is scheduled to be held next weekend.
With the Delhi team looking for a long time captain and a prolific opener, home lad Gautam Gambhir will be the best choice for them. Moreover, Gautam Gambhir may enjoy a home advantage as he has been playing for nearly two decades now at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi which is the home ground of Delhi Daredevils.