Gautam Gambhir (36 years) resigned from the captaincy on Wednesday after the consistent poor performance of Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Although he will remain the part of the team. Shreyas Iyer, 23, has been replaced as captain of Delhi Daredevils in place of Gambhir. In the IPL-11, the Delhi team has played 6 matches so far but it has won only one out of them. Delhi Daredevils is at the bottom of the eighth position with 2 points.
IPL Points Table:
|
Pos. |
Team | P | W | L | T | Pts. |
| 1 |
KXIP |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| 2 |
CSK |
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 |
SRH |
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 |
KKR |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 5 |
RR |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 |
RCB |
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 |
MI |
6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 |
DD |
6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
Dehli Daredevils So Far Matches:
| Match | Team | Result |
| 1st | KXIP | KXIP won by 6 wkts |
| 2nd | RR | RR won by 10 wkts |
| 3rd | MI | DD won by 7 wkts |
| 4th | KKR | KKR won by 71 runs |
| 5th | RCB | RCB won by 6 wkts |
| 6th | KXIP | KXIP won by 4 runs |
Gautam Gambhir was part of Delhi Daredevils’ team in the early three editions of the IPL. In 2011, he became the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Gambhir returned to the Delhi team this year. Management handed them captains.
True, that I’ve stepped down from DD captaincy. Just to clarify it was my call, nothing from the management or coaching staff. I may not be leading from the front but I will be the last man standing for @DelhiDaredevils. No individual bigger than d team. Very much a #DilDIlli
— Gautam Gambhir (Modi Ka Parivar) (@GautamGambhir) April 25, 2018
Gambhir said,
“Absolutely my decision. I thought that I haven’t contributed enough, and at the same time the performance of the team. I had to take responsibility being the leader of this ship, and I owe that responsibility. I feel that it was the right time because we are very much in this competition.
“So, absolutely my decision, no pressure from the franchise. They’ve been absolutely supportive about it,” said Gambhir, when quizzed if the decision to step down was entirely his own or not.
Gambhir’s shocking announcement comes two days before the Delhi Daredevils seventh game of the competition, in which they have to face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the team that Gambhir had led to two title triumphs (2012 and 2014).
When asked about his views on his immediate future with the Daredevils, Gambhir said: “It’s too early for me to decide on that. Let me sit down and decide. Still need some time. It’s about what DD achieve, is what’s more important to me than what I achieve. We still have a great chance to turn things around. Let’s talk about DD, and not myself.”
Delhi coach “Ricky Ponting” added that it would be his, as well as Gambhir’s responsibility to groom Iyer as a leader.
“It’s my job, it’s Gautam’s job, it’s all the player’s job now to make Shreyas’ job as easy as possible on the field… A big part of coaching is to ensure the captain’s got everything he needs and is well-prepared for the challenge. So, there’s no extra pressure on Shreyas Iyer at all,” said the former Australian captain, who added that he is “proud” of Gambhir for taking the bold decision.
Delhi Daredevil CEO respected the decision of Gautam Gambhir. Heres what he tweeted
Dear All continuing where, I left yesterday this decision by @GautamGambhir to step down as #Captain for betterment of the team is legendary. Only the brave can take call like this! Deserves full respect for this decision a first in #India cricket. #TeambeforeIndividual #Respect
— Hemant Dua हेमंत दुआ (@inspiranti) April 25, 2018
