VIVO IPL 2018: Ricky Ponting Announces the Leader for Delhi Daredevils

Cricket News– VIVO IPL 2018

The veteran cricketer Gautam Gambhir will represent his hometown in VIVO IPL 2018, as he has been purchased by Delhi Daredevils (DD) after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Gautam Gambhir has done wonders for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The Knight Riders won two IPL titles under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir. And Delhi Daredevils Ricky Ponting put’s his faith on Gambhir’s Captaincy skills.

“We had a fair bit of thought into that. It is likely now that Gambhir will lead the team next season. We had conversation with him. He has conveyed to us that he would like to make a comeback to his home Delhi and hopefully lead the team,” Ponting stated after the auction.

“And if you look at his leadership, we did not find any fault when captaining KKR. His last season of IPL also has also been very good. So we thought it would be good to have him as captain working with some of the young Indian players. So, we have gone for an experienced captain and I am sure he will do the job for us,” the legendary Australian added.

Ricky Ponting was aware that the Knight Riders won’t go after Gambhir. “Not really. When you look at it and see what they have done today is that they want to regenerate their franchise and the team. Look, Gautam has been there for a long time. He might himself felt it is time for a change for a fresh start. We are glad to have him as part of Delhi franchise.”

The former Australian captain also spoke investing on young talents. “I think all the teams want to invest and nurture young talent,” he said.

Ricky Ponting also believes that the youngsters will have an upper hand in compare to the seniors in such shorter format of the game. 

“Playing this game is becoming increasingly difficult. Young players around the world are playing more and more T20 cricket. They develop their skills lot earlier, probably ten years ago.

“For old players, it is quite difficult to keep fit compared to young players. It is very hard to improve when you reach 35. You can keep yourself reasonably fit, so that might be the reason for some of the old players going cheaply in the auction.”