Thursday, Apr 25, 2024 | Last Update : 10:16 AM IST
Robin Uthappa open to lead Kolkata Knight Riders in Indian Premier League 2018
Uthappa who previously played for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors has been part of KKR since 2014.
Mumbai: Indian Premier League outfit Kolkata Knight Riders will be without their star captain Gautam Gambhir, who will now play for his home side Delhi Daredevils after the two-time champions decided not to retain him in the auction.
Another star player Robin Uthappa though was lucky enough to be bought by the Kolkata franchise for Rs 6.4 crore via Right to Match card in the 2018 IPL players’ auction.
With the absence of Gambhir in the side, the captaincy spot remains vacant. Uthappa said that he is willing to take up the mantle of captaincy for the upcoming season of the IPL.
Speaking to Sportstar, he said. “Of course, I am. I’ll be honored if the opportunity came along but it’s for the think-tank to decide — whatever role they want me to take, I’ll give my 110 percent. Adding value to my team as a cricketer is crucial to my game”.
Uthappa, who had previously played for Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the now-defunct Pune Warriors India, has been part of the Kolkata set-up since 2014. The opening batsman praised the Kolkata fans and team management for treating him with so much love for all these years.
“The initial five or six years of the IPL, I moved around a lot, so for me to find one place I could call home was important. The people back in Kolkata are absolutely fantastic, they’ve treated me with so much love and care. Even the team management has stood by me right from the time I joined them,” the 32-year old said.
India Under-19 star Shubman Gill, who won the man-of-the-series award in the recently concluded ICC Under-19 World Cup 2018 was bought by KKR for Rs 1.8 crore during players ‘auction.
Speaking about the youngster, Uthappa said, “(Shubman) Gill has got a very strong game, I think he’s a naturally aggressive player. And he looks very versatile at this point in time. Obviously, the variations and pace (in IPL) are going to be different — it’ll be five or 10 clicks faster. It’s about acclimatizing to the conditions but I feel these guys will do great because of the kind of exposure they’ve had at such a young age. The next few years are going to be strong years for KKR,” he signed off.
