Who should buy Gautam Gambhir in IPL 2019 Auction: Sportsrush presents before you three teams who could buy Gambhir in the auction.

When veteran India batsman Gautam Gambhir was bought for INR 2.8 crore by Delhi Daredevils in the IPL auction before the last season of the IPL, it came across as one of the most cherished comebacks in the IPL.

Having scored his 36th IPL half-century in the first match of the last season against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali, it was like the perfect way to commence a homecoming. Having said that, what followed wasn’t on the anticipated lines.

Gambhir failed to generate any sort of impact in the next five matches, scoring a total of 85 runs at an average of 17 and a strike rate of 96.59. The disadvantage of being Gautam Gambhir is that you stay true to yourself to the extent that you can end up dropping yourself from the team.

As a result, Shreyas Iyer was named the captain and Gambhir didn’t get to play another match. There were paltry chances of a 37-year old Gambhir being retained by the Daredevils and law of probability held true when the cricketer was released earlier this week.

Actively playing cricket for Delhi in the domestic circuit, Gambhir has showed signs of form this year. Having scored 518 runs in 10 matches at an average of 51.80 and a strike rate of 110.44, Gambhir ended up being the second-highest run-scorer in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Given the ruthless nature of IPL auctions, it would be sad but not surprising to see Gambhir not picked by any franchise in the upcoming auction. That being said, below are three teams who might end up bidding for him.

Who should buy Gautam Gambhir in IPL 2019 Auction?

1) Chennai Super Kings – As mentioned in an earlier post, CSK might just be interested in roping in Gambhir for the next season of the IPL. The addition of Gambhir will add immense experience to the already wise Chennai Super Kings squad. With their openers on the wrong side of 30s, having someone of Gambhir’s experience in the squad might just work for them in crunch situations.

2) Royal Challengers Bangalore – One of the three IPL franchises to have played every season of the IPL so far without winning a single title, RCB have retained only a couple of specialist batsmen in Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

There is no hiding to the fact that RCB would be looking to buy a few swashbuckling names to bolster their squad. Having said that, someone of Gambhir’s experience might just provide stability to their top-order. With him playing the anchor role, the others around him can opt for glory in the extravaganza of cricket.

3) Sunrisers Hyderabad – Sunrisers would be looking at Gambhir as a like-for-like replacement for Shikhar Dhawan. With Dhawan traded to the Daredevils, England’s Alex Hales released and participation of Australia’s David Warner under the clouds, SRH are in serious need of an opening batsman.

Even if Warner plays, he might not be able to play the full season if Australia opts to name in the squad for the ICC World Cup 2019. In such a scenario, Gambhir might be an choice to partner Kane Williamson at the top of the order.

Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on Gambhir below: