Team India discard and former captain of two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Gautam Gambhir is set to lead Delhi Daredevils in the fresh season of the cash-rich league, starting in April 2018.
The 36-year-old batsman returned to the home team after Delhi Daredevils bought him for a Rs 2.8 crore on the first day of the IPL Auction at Ritz Carlton, Bengaluru, on Saturday. The base price of Gambhir was set at Rs 2 crore.
During the auction, Star Sports anchor Jatin Sapru said that Delhi Daredevils have confirmed that Gambhir will be the skipper of the franchise.
The southpaw batsman returned to Delhi after playing for them for three years between 2008 and 2010. He captained the side in 2010 in absence of former India opener Virender Sehwag.
"I AM BACK @DelhiDaredevils @IPL," Gambhir tweeted, after being by Delhi at the IPL Auction.
Besides Gambhir, Delhi bought Colin Munro, Jason Roy, Glenn Maxwell for Rs 1.9 crore, Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 9 crore respectively.
Earlier, Chris Morris, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer were retained by the side from the last season squad.
Tagged as the perennial underperformers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) - Delhi Daredevils are looking for a change in fortune in the 2018 edition of the T20 extravaganza. The DD’s have always found it difficult to get going particularly in the last five editions of the league. Be it due to lack of star power, T20 specialists or experienced heads in the middle – the Daredevils have never been able to secure the critical moments in the league.
In the last edition of IPL, Delhi Daredevils finished sixth on the table, failing to secure the playoffs spot. Before the player auctions later this month, the franchise has chosen to retain three players from the 2017 squad. (Read full story)
