IPL 2020 | Gautam Gambhir picks Shubman Gill to succeed Dinesh Karthik as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders

Two-time IPL winning captain with Kolkata Knight Riders and former India batsman, Gautam Gambhir, has backed youngster Shubman Gill to succeed Dinesh Karthik as the skipper of the franchise.

Gambhir, who helped Kolkata win the IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, was quite vocal about Gill's future with the franchise and pinned hopes on the youngster to lead the team after Karthik's tenure as captain.

Gill had recently captained India C in the Deodhar Trophy and had broken Virat Kohli's record of being the youngest captain in a Deodhar Trophy final. Talking to a Times source, Gambhir said:

"For me, there are not many captaincy options in this team. I will go with Shubman Gill. I will go with a youngster. Dinesh Karthik will have the baggage of two years. He did not perform as per expectations. Go with Shubman Gill, a new young face. He might give new thinking and results.”

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Karthik was picked over Robin Uthappa to lead KKR, following Gambhir's tenure. Despite Uthappa having played the role of a deputy before, Karthik was chosen by the KKR management to lead the team.

With Karthik leading Tamil Nadu to two successive domestic finals, Vijay Hazare Trophy as well as Syed Mushtaq Ali, he remains the best bet to continue as KKR captain. In 30 matches as the captain of KKR, Karthik has won 15 and lost 15 matches.