IPL 2018: Gautam Gambhir steps down; DD announces new skipper

Gautam Gambhir has stepped down as the captain of Delhi Daredevils (DD) from the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team is currently in a state of flux after losing 5 out of 6 matches and are languishing at the bottom of the table. They are in a situation now where they have to win at least 7 out of their remaining 8 games of the season to qualify for the playoffs. However, DD have announced Shreyas Iyer as their skipper for the remainder of the season.

This seems to be a well thought out decision as the CEO of the franchise Hemant Dua had indicated that they were going to take some harsh decisions in a series of tweets on Tuesday. Gambhir has been poor with the bat so far in the tournament with only a solitary half-century and has struggled since then. He has accumulated only 85 runs in 6 outings this season and has failed to lead from the front for his team.

Iyer – The right pick?

DD has picked Shreyas Iyer as the successor of Gautam Gambhir for the remainder of the season and they announced it in a press conference during which the coach Ricky Ponting, CEO Hemant Dua were also present. The 23-year-old recently led India B in the Deodhar Trophy and won the trophy under his inspired leadership. He was also at the helm for India A during the ODI series against New Zealand A.

Shreyas Iyer has been the only shining light for DD this season and was left dejected after he failed to win the game for his team off the last ball against Kings XI Punjab. He has smashed a couple of half-centuries so far and has 151 runs to his names at a strike-rate of 137.27 which is highly impressive. Though it remains to be seen if he will be able to change the fortunes of the team in the upcoming matches.

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