The former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly is back in the business of the biggest cricket league ever. He has been appointed as an advisor of Delhi Capitals for the 12th season of Indian Premier League. Ganguly has returned to the arena of IPL after seven long years. He has been in the cricketing field though as the President of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and part of BCCI Technical committee, a post from which he has resigned recently to avoid any possibility of a conflict of interest for his new role with the IPL team.
Although Sourav Ganguly is considered to be one of the best cricket captains India has ever produced, his stints with IPL wasn’t hit.
In the first season of Indian Premier League Ganguly was the Icon player for his home team Kolkata Knight Riders and handed over the responsibility of captaincy. The team, from the beginning, was in the headlines for its owner, Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan. The association of movie stars, industry tycoons, cricket icons and moreover the stamp of BCCI made IPL the most entertaining cricket league since its inception. Kolkata fans were elated to have the biggest movie star of India and the Prince of Kolkata in their home team. Moreover, Ganguly’s retirement news often used to make buzz during that phase. So his IPL debut meant more days in the 22yards. It was a happy time.
KKR led by Ganguly started their IPL journey with a bang. The first match of KKR witnessed a brilliant century by Brendon McCullum (158 off 73 balls) that helped KKR to defeat Rahul Dravid led Royal Challengers Bangalore by 140 runs. In this season Ganguly made 349 runs in 13 matches at an average of 29.08 with a strike rate of 113.68. He scored three half-centuries; one of them came against Rajasthan Royals when he scored 51 runs off 39 balls at a strike rate of 130. It wasn’t that bad; in fact for a cricketer coming from a generation when more than 250 runs in ODI was considered to be very good. But Kolkata Knight Riders failed miserably as a team and ended at 6th position.
The next season Sourav Ganguly was removed from captaincy and Brendon McCullum was the new skipper. Cricket experts and fans had two different views on the same. Some believed McCullum could bring glory to KKR, others believed Dada deserved a second chance. Unfortunately this time KKR ended as the last time on the final chart, which is basically their worst ranking ever in IPL. KKR management certainly didn’t see this coming. They were left with no choice but Sourav Ganguly. Once again in 2010, Ganguly was given the second chance to lead the Knights.
With a new captain, KKR had a new coach in 2010 as well. Dav Whatmore replaced John Buchanan. Ganguly ended IPL 2010 with 493 runs at an average of 37.92. It was the fourth highest overall and the highest for the Kolkata Knight Riders in that season. But his strike rate,117.66 was the second lowest amongst the top ten run scorers in IPL that season. The team performance was the same as the first season and KKR once again were out from the group stage.
Now performance wise Ganguly was modest to start with and went on to become better season by season. For Ganguly, his performances in 2008 and 2010 were way better than in 2009. He was probably enjoying KKR captaincy but somehow the team couldn’t deliver results. Ganguly expectedly was criticized for his captaincy by all. But KKR did try another option for captaincy with no positive result eventually. KKR management were trying to find a solution probably and fans were hoping for a strong comeback.
Kolkata Knight Riders eventually found a solution. But that solution seemed to be too harsh. When the 2011 IPL auction were held, all were certain about the icon players. Legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman were expected to represent their home countries just like the previous three seasons. But it wasn’t the case. Rahul Dravid wasn’t bought back by Bangalore team and was signed by Rajasthan Royals eventually. For Sourav Ganguly, the case was even worse. He went unsold in the initial bidding process. This led to a huge controversy and media outrage. The whole cricketing world was shocked by KKR management’s decision.
Sourav Ganguly was signed by Pune Warriors in the middle of the season to replace injured Ashish Nehra. He could play only four matches in that season and scored 50 runs for Pune. Next season, Ganguly scored 263 runs in 15 matches at an average of 17.86. In 2012 he was captain cum mentor of his team, Pune Warriors. In October 2012 Ganguly decided to not play IPL anymore.
On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders bought some new players in 2011. One of them was Gautam Gambhir who was made the captain. It was a positive change for KKR. Under Gambhir, with few new inclusions and changes, Kolkata Knight Riders went on to win two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. Initially, KKR fans were unhappy and the owner had a tough time at the Eden Gardens. But with an impactful outcome, everyone settled on a happy note.
Sourav Ganguly didn’t give a lot of reactions but he was certainly heartbroken by KKR management’s decision. His mood was well reflected in the field. He didn’t score a single 50 for Pune whereas he had seven for his home team. He failed, he accepted and he resigned to move on from IPL.
May 14, 2019. Delhi Capitals (previously Delhi Daredevils) tweeted from their official account and welcomed CAB president Sourav Ganguly as their advisor for IPL 2019. Ganguly didn’t have a great time in 2012 in an almost similar role of a mentor for Pune Warriors. He is still back after seven years. This time he will be sharing the dressing room with Ricky Ponting, one of the advisors of Delhi and his former teammate, Mohammed Kaif, the assistant coach of the team.
Names like Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag were previously parts of Delhi team. Still, Delhi has been one of the most consistent IPL teams in terms of failures. Their best result in the last 5 years was the 6th spot that was achieved in 2016 and 2017. This time, Delhi Daredevils is back with a new name, Delhi Capitals. Shreyas Iyer led Delhi team will be seen in a new jersey. With everything new, Delhi will hope for positivity in IPL 2019.
This will be an opportunity for Sourav Ganguly as well. Ganguly and Ponting were two very successful captains of a generation that witnessed India and Australia reach new heights. Captaincy by these two was one of the major reasons for the success of India and Australia. The association of these two legends may bring back luck to Delhi. And if this happens IPL will not be an unsuccessful venture for Sourav Ganguly.
A cricketer who had been instrumental for his team at every level – from domestic to international, a captain who was a reason for his country’s positive mindset abroad and an administrator who made his mark from the first day will certainly look forward to changing his fate in the most astounding cricket league.
Video: Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly together in IPL 2019
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