KKR’s journey from a bottom of the table laughing stock, to one of the best teams in IPL history has all the makings of a Bollywood movie someday.
Ever since Shahrukh Khan bought the Kolkata franchise back in 2008, KKR immediately became one of the most loved teams in the IPL, thanks to the mass appeal of the Bollywood megastar.
The hype machine got a whole lot bigger, after KKR’s Brendon McCullum smashed a whirlwind 158 in the first ever IPL match. Shahrukh Khan was over the moon, as KKR quickly became one of the favourites to lift the IPL trophy.
But their initial optimism turned into bitter disappointment, as the KKR franchise languished near the bottom of the table for the next three years.
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All that changed in the next big auction, as KKR roped in Gautam Gambhir and built a very strong team around the Delhi batsman.
The feisty Gambhir was at the time one of the best T20 players in the world. Not only was he one of the pillars of the Indian T20 side, Gambhir was also one of the main reasons for Delhi Daredevils’ relative success in the first three years of the IPL.
The opening batsman was in for a surprise during the IPL auction, as the Delhi franchise did not even try and buy back Gambhir. Gauti was shocked, as he felt slighted and disrespected by Delhi’s team management.
A talented captain with a huge chip in his shoulder was the perfect man for KKR, as Shahrukh Khan’s team finally found their man.
Gambhir’s acquisition was the catalyst for the Kolkata side, as they went on to win two IPL titles in the proceeding years.
With the mega auction set to take place in a month’s time, the KKR franchise have a huge decision to make, as they need to decide which players would they like to retain for the upcoming edition of the IPL.
Reports are filtering through that KKR will only retain Sunil Narine, as they want to build a fresh squad for the next few years of the competition. This will mean that Gambhir will not be retained, as KKR’s legendary skipper might find himself playing for a new team next season.
KKR may still hold the RTM card for Gambhir, as they might try to buy back their skipper. But with Gambhir at the fag end of his prolific career, KKR may be better off in saying goodbye to one of the most successful skippers in IPL history.
Thanks for the memories Gautam!
