IPL 2018 Auction: Gautam Gambhir back with Delhi Daredevils after 8 years

Kolkata Knight Riders not retaining Gautam Gambhir was one of the biggest news ahead of the player retention earlier this month. All his fans must have been visibly excited when the auctioneer Richard Madley announced his name during the first session. The veteran was supposed to be snapped up some franchise as he is the perfect captain material. However, it was Delhi Daredevils who managed to bag him for Rs. 2.8 Crores after a bidding war along with Punjab who also wanted the left-hander to be in their team.

Gambhir has not been part of the Indian team for a long time now and there are also calls that his career as an international cricketer might have come to an end. But he remains the key player in the domestic circuit and guides the young and budding cricketers. He was the vital cog in Delhi’s amazing Ranji season in which ended up as runners-up. They also won Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy just a day before the mega-auction and the left-hander was key to their fortunes providing inputs to the team.

Gambhir to lead?

Now that the Delhi Daredevils franchise has managed to get their most celebrated local player in their team in order to turn things around for them this year. Now given his credentials as the skipper while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders, there is every chance that Gautam Gambhir might be appointed as the leader of the pack for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is a clever cricketer and has the in-depth knowledge of the game.

Gambhir has won the coveted title twice in 2012 and 2014. But he started his IPL career along with Delhi Daredevils itself after which the franchise parted ways with him following the poor form which he endured. However, he is now back to where he belongs and would love to do wonders to the youngsters.

The 36-year-old has been part of the lucrative league ever since its inception and has played 148 matches so far. He has amassed 4132 at a decent strike rate of 124.60 to go with a whopping 35 half-centuries. He would look to continue in the same vein for his new franchise and win the title for the team.

Here’s what Gambhir tweeted

Follow live feeds of IPL auction 2018 at https://www.crictracker.com/ipl-2018-player-auction-live-feeds/.