IPL 2018: Kolkata Knight Riders announce skipper for the season

Kolkata Knight Riders have been among the most celebrated teams in the Indian Premier League. The team blew hot and cold in the opening three seasons. However, they stormed back and won the title in 2012 and 2014 respectively. The franchise had an architect by the name of Gautam Gambhir who turned their fortunes around and paved the way for the stupendous victories. However, Dinesh Karthik has replaced him as the skipper of the KKR and he will look to take the juggernaut of the team forward.

The cricketer commenced his IPL career for the Delhi Daredevils. However, he shifted to the Knight Riders franchise in 2011 when he became the highest grosser in the auction of the tournament at INR 11.04 crores. He wielded his magic, both as a skipper and a batsman, and helped his team achieve greater heights in the prestigious Indian domestic league.

He played seven years for the franchise and emerged as a stalwart for them. Nevertheless, the franchise decided to release him ahead of the 2018 season, which raised several eyebrows. The auction was staged in January at Bangalore and Knights went for some prominent names in world cricket. However, the fact that they didn’t pick a full-fledged captain became a much-debated conundrum.

Dinesh Karthik- The Skipper

After all the speculations and analysis, the Knights have finally zeroed in on their skipper. Recently, the franchise quashed all qualms and announced Dinesh Karthik as their skipper in Knight Club, a talk show on Star Sports. Dinesh Karthik has been a consistent player for Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit and has also been an effective leader. Karthik, who was bagged for a whopping 7.40 crores by the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise, has previously captained the Delhi Daredevils team in the absence of their skipper Kevin Pietersen.

Prior to the Knights revealing the name of their skipper, there were several players who were in contention for the role. Chris Lynn, the swashbuckling Australian batsman and Robin Uthappa, the Karnataka wicket-keeper batsman were among the contenders to be crowned as the leader. The KKR franchise and its fans would be eager to find out how Karthik, who will be also be debuting for the Knights,  fills in the massive shoes of Gautam Gambhir.