'There was a dog-fight for Gautam Gambhir' - KKR CEO on buying the opener in IPL 2011 auction

Kolkata Knight Riders had a forgettable first three seasons of the Indian Premier League. With several star players in the squad and Shah Rukh Khan as co-owner, the franchise was always under the spotlight. But the performance on the field wasn’t justifying during those years. They finished on 6th position in the first and third season and even graduated with the wooden spoon in 2nd season.

The newly appointed CEO, Venky Mysore was on the auction table in 2011. With a clear picture and several plans to make sure that the team has all the ammunition to finally find success. They went for the most expensive buy of 2011 auction, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir. As Delhi Daredevils decided not to retain the southpaw, the aggressive Indian opener was a hot property in the 1st mega auction of IPL in 2011.

“Obviously, I didn’t know Gautam Gambhir at all, before we picked him. There were a lot of unforgettable moments in KKR’s history as far as I am concerned. The first auction that I was going to in 2011, we had made our plans. With me, one of the things I always drive is that we are not always fixated on one plan. We have plan A, plan B, Plan C because that is the capricious nature of the auctions,” Mysore was quoted saying on the latest episode of The RK Show on YouTube.

My instinct said that it was the right thing to do: KKR CEO on buying Gambhir for $2.4Million

The KKR CEO shared that it was his first season but the owners had full faith in him. They didn’t do any micromanagement and made sure that he had full autonomy. He revealed how Kochi Tuskers were going for Gambhir with all guns blazing, but KKR went for the costly buy as Gambhir was always a part of their plan.

“I thought we were very well prepared but still we were quite nervous. It was my first auction, and I was sitting there. The owners took a call that this is your baby, your project, you run it, your plan, you go and execute. That has been the thing with KKR ever since I have been involved.”

“Lo and behold, the first name in 2011 auctions Gautam Gambhir – the very first name that came in. It was unbelievable. We were quite determined. My instinct said that it was the right thing to do. Even though it exceeded our circuit break-up because the Kochi team was equally motivated. There was a dog-fight for that. The rest is history,” Mysore concluded.

The Delhi lad took over from Sourav Ganguly as the skipper of KKR in 2011. He led the team to win the title twice in the next four years. The left-hander is still remembered as one of the most successful captains in IPL history

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