Just a couple of days after the IPL auction, Delhi Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua has stated that Gautam Gambhir would like to get done his "unfinished business" in the next edition of Indian Premier League. Gambhir was roped in by the Delhi based franchise for INR 2.80 crores after the southpaw had requested KKR to not bid or use RTM card for him.
Gambhir, who has led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL triumphs, will be playing for Delhi after seven years and Dua feels that the 36-year-old is back where he belongs.
"We were always keen to bring Gautam back home as he has unfinished business with the franchise (winning the trophy). He was the second highest scorer after David Warner during last IPL. And above all, he is a leader," Dua was quoted by PTI as saying.
"I had personally ensured that both Ricky and Gautam speak to each other and express what's there in their minds. I am glad they are both on the same page on team building. They have had extensive discussions on the way forward," he further added.
The CEO also disclosed that Gambhir wasn't a very tough pick once the Delhi lad had told KKR not to retain him using 'Right To Match' (RTM) card.
"Look, there were only three potential Indian captains - Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane and Gautam Gambhir. There were five franchises who had settled captains - MS Dhoni for CSK, Steve Smith for Royals, David Warner for Sunrisers, Rohit Sharma for MI and KKR I believe have some plans, which I would not like to get into.
"Therefore, our option was pretty straightforward. Once Ashwin was picked by Kings XI Punjab, we always knew that we would go for Gautam," he elaborated.
Considering Gambhir’s prior experience and credentials as a captain, securing him for 2.80 crores isn’t a bad deal and Dua is fairly aware of it.
"Yes, we did expect some bidding and if you have seen Kings XI Punjab did bid for him. But we knew that we wanted him in our team," Dua said.
"We always wanted Maxwell and had a specific budget allocated for him as we had for each player. Also we never had doubts about his potential as a match-winner. One must remember before he became a star, the first IPL franchise to sign him up was Daredevils. So it's like a homecoming for him."
"And Maxwell for me is like that boat whose sail needs to capture the wind to sail long way forward. For Maxwell, Ricky is the man, who can get the best out of him. We at Daredevils are pretty confident about it," he concluded.
Delhi Squad for IPL 2018:
Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Chris Morris (SA), Naman Ojha, Glenn Maxwell (AUS), Gautam Gambhir (C), Jason Roy (ENG), Colin Munro (NZ), Mohammed Shami, Kagiso Rabada (SA), Amit Mishra, Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay ShankaR, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Daniel Christian (AUS), Jayant Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh, Trent Boult (NZ), Manjot Kalra, Abhishek Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane (NEP), Sayan Ghosh
