IPL 2018: Robin Uthappa keen on captaining Kolkata Knight Riders
What's the story?
Kolkata Knight Riders' batting mainstay Robin Uthappa has tossed his hat into the ring for the captaining the T20 franchise ahead of the 2018 season of the IPL.
“Of course, I am. I’ll be honored if the opportunity came along but it’s for the think-tank to decide — whatever role they want me to take, I’ll give my 110 percent. Adding value to my team as a cricketer is crucial to my game,” he was quoted as saying to Sportstarlive.
In case you didn't know...
Gautam Gambhir, KKR's captain since 2011, was let go of by the franchise, with no captaincy replacement having been named.
Uthappa had joined the Knight Riders in 2014 after having played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Pune Warriors India before that. He was retained by the franchise in the 2018 IPL auctions using the Right-to-Match card for Rs 6.4 crore
The heart of the matter
With Gambhir's departure to Delhi Daredevils, the Knight Riders will have to choose a new captain from their 19-man squad this season.
Uthappa has been an integral part of the franchise ever since his joining and was a member of the 2014 title-winning team under Gambhir, also winning the Orange Cap that year.
“The initial five or six years of the IPL, I moved around a lot, so for me to find one place I could call home was important. The people back in Kolkata are absolutely fantastic, they’ve treated me with so much love and care. Even the team management has stood by me right from the time I joined them”, he added.
What's next?
The 11th edition of the IPL will commence on April 7th, with the first match set to take place in Mumbai.
Author's take
A veteran of 149 IPL games, Uthappa is well-versed with the format and the tournament in particular and has had ample experience of acting as a helping hand to Gambhir for the Knight Riders. An astute cricketing brain who has called the shots from behind the stumps, Uthappa seems to be the perfect fit in the captaincy role due to his association with the franchise and the dearth of captaincy options in the current setup.