IPL 2018: Gautam Gambhir clarifies the reason behind his decision to step down

Gautam Gambhir one of the three Indian Premier League (IPL) captains to have won multiple titles left his team Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2018 season. He wanted to play for his native side Delhi Daredevils in the last part of his career and DD who have been looking for a good leader from the very beginning welcomed him with open arms. Six matches into the season Gambhir has decided to step down as the captain after the team failed to put up a decent show.

Daredevils had retained three of their star players Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Chris Morris ahead of the auction. They used the Right to Match card to buy back Mohammed Shami and Kagiso Rabada. Add Gautam to the mix and it already looks like a good line-up. The first couple of games against Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals didn’t go their way but once they beat Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium there was a glimmer of hope.

Iyer the new skipper

However, the team has failed to rise to the occasion and it is a collective failure. Being the leader of the lot, Gambhir has taken the responsibility and decided to step down from the position and DD have appointed young Shreyas Iyer as the new captain.

“I take full responsibility for the position we are in. And looking at the position, I have decided to step down as captain. Iyer will take over. I still feel we have the team to turn things around this IPL,” Gambhir said in a media interaction on Wednesday (April 25).

GG’s call

He clarified that there was no pressure from the management for him to step down rather his own call as he thinks this is the right time for someone else to take over and captain the team in the last half of the league.

“Absolutely my decision. I was the one who initiated the meeting (with the team owners). I thought that I haven’t contributed enough and at the same time, the performance of the team… I had to take the responsibility being the leader of the ship. So I feel that it was the right time.

“We’re very much in this competition. It was absolutely my decision, no pressure from the franchise, they’ve been absolutely sportive about it, sometimes when your conscience says it’s the right time you just take that (call),” added Gambhir.

On the personal front, the opener started the season with a half century but has been out of touch since then and only managed single-digit scores. Iyer, on the other hand, was the last man standing and lone warrior for Daredevils in the last match against the Kings where they fell short of the target by just 4 runs.

Delhi next take on the Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday in New Delhi.

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