NEW DELHI: Left-hand batsman Gautam Gambhir who led Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders for seven years, has now been named the skipper of Delhi Daredevils for the upcoming season of the tournament. The announcement was made during an event on Wednesday, by DD CEO Hemant Dua. Gambhir was associated with the Delhi franchise till 2010, and thereafter joined KKR, where he led them to two titles in 2012, 2014 respectively. Delighted to be chosen as the skipper for the team, Gambhir said, “It is a huge honour to once again captain DD. To get this responsibility is a way for me to give back to the sport in the city. I firmly believe that with the players currently involved we have the makings of a very good side. The potential of this group of players is immense and it is now up to us to turn that potential into consistent performances. It is also going to be great to work in unison with Ricky, an absolute champion himself.” The southpaw batsman was picked by the Delhi outfit for Rs 2.8 crore, and till now has scored 4,132 runs from 148 matches in his IPL career. Asked whether he eyes IPL as a stepping stone to comeback in the Indian team, Gambhir said, “I’m more excited than I have ever been.” “You don’t play a tournament to make a comeback, you play to win the tournament every time before the IPL I am asked this question. But a leader plays to help his side win. Not for a personal comeback.” Speaking about the Gambhir’s appointment, head coach Ricky Ponting said: “Gauti has been a leader for a very long time. He has always proven himself to be one of the top leaders during his stint with other sides in the IPL. He has a big personality, but it is the drive behind the outward confidence which I think will inspire the rest of the team. He has the respect of the dressing room and the franchise is proud to have him as our captain. I would like to congratulate him on the appointment and wish him, all the very best.” Delhi Daredevils squad: Gautam Gambhir (C), Jason Roy, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Manjot Kalra, Colin Munro, Rishabh Pant, Naman Ojha, Chris Morris, Glenn Maxwell, Vijay Shankar, Daniel Christian, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Jayant Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Shami, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Sayan Ghosh, Amit Mishra, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Tewatia, Abhishek Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane. Published in Daily Times, March 8th 2018.