Gautam Gambhir reveals why he refused to get paid by Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018

Gambhir had given up his IPL money for Delhi Daredevils last season.

Gautam Gambhir had left Kolkata Knight Riders to play for Delhi | GETTY

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, who announced retirement from competitive cricket recently, talked about his last season's IPL journey for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). It was a bitter one and worth not remembering a single moment for the veteran batsman. Gambhir had stepped down from captaincy after he failed to produce the desired result for the franchise after the first half of the tournament. Not only that, he even refused to take a single rupee for the whole season.

The 37-year-old was picked for INR 2.8 crores but gave up all the money after a flop season. This was, by far, the worst season for Gambhir as he not only failed as a captain, his figures with the bat were equally disappointing. He could only score 85 runs in 6 matches with an average of just 17. Delhi management did not consider him in the XI after he stepped down as captain.

Opening up on why he gave up the money, he told Sports Tak, “Last year, I had a contract of 2.80 crores, but I didn’t take a single rupee from the IPL as I felt that my 100 runs weren’t worth that much amount. It’s a fact. And I’m not saying that I’ve become god by leaving the amount and I genuinely thought that I didn’t deserve it as I couldn’t perform, both as a batsman and captain."

“I would’ve accepted it happily had I been able to serve the needs of the team. Had I accepted the money even after underperforming then I would’ve spent my entire life in guilt. Sometimes when you listen to your heart, you get more clarity about things and hence I prefer to listen to my heart. And had I thought with my mind, I couldn’t have performed well,” he added.

Gambhir had a very good Indian Premier League career. He led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL triumphs and also scored 4217 runs in 154 matches. He is fourth highest IPL run-scorer of all time.

(With Inputs of Sports Tak)

 
 

By Sihyeu Singh - 13 Dec, 2018

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