5 Captains who were released just before Auction in IPL history
Steve Smith became the latest case of captain being released out of the IPL franchise before the Auctions.
4. Gautam Gambhir( Kolkata Knight Riders)
The mid-2010s witnessed the rise of Kolkata Knight Riders as a superpower in the IPL circuit. With multiple superstars stepping up at the crucial stages, the team managed to clinch the title in 2012 and 2014. The man behind this success was the stylish Indian top-order batsman, Gautam Gambhir. A team that failed to make a statement during the first five years of the IPL, managed to lift the trophy twice within three years!
Gautam Gambhir as a batsman had stepped up during crucial stages in the World Cup finals. Be it 2007 or 2011, the man gave everything he had. Opening up with Sehwag, he was the only batsman who looked commanding even when Sehwag was in full flow. The Kolkata lineup looked commanding thanks to Gambir’s excellent tactics of promoting Sunil Narine at the top.
However, as all good things must come to an end, Gambir’s form dropped during the 2016 season( strike-rate wise) as he scored 501 runs off 411 balls with a strike rate of 121.89. The very next year, an aging Gambhir managed to collect 498 runs with a strike rate of 128.02. As IPL teams usually look for fresh faces (except the Chennai Super Kings), the management decided that it was time to change the skipper. Therefore, Gambhir was released from the KKR squad.
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