It's a classic catch-22 situation for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise as far as Sourav Ganguly is concerned. They are mulling the option of going into IPL 4 without Bengal's favourite son, hoping to give the team a new direction.
But the move can backfire badly as the team itself may lose lot of currency with fanatic fans in Kolkata if he's allowed to go away. As former Indian opener Devang Gandhi points out, KKR will lose their connectivity with local fans if they take the field without Sourav.
"Not only that, whichever franchise signs up Sourav will actually enjoy 'home advantage' when playing at Eden Gardens against KKR. Take my word for it, the crowd will root for Sourav and whichever team he plays for," added Devang, who knows the Eden crowd inside out, having played and watched cricket at this venue all his life.
Differences between Sourav and the KKR management soured prior to IPL 2 when their erstwhile coach John Buchanan came up with his weird 'multiple-captain' theory in a bid to dislodge the former India captain from the hot seat. In the face of widespread criticism, Buchanan never got around to implementing it on the field, but the KKR management did take away the captaincy from Sourav and handed it to New Zealand's Brendon McCullum with disastrous consequences. KKR cut a sorry figure on South African soil and finished last.
Stung by the loss of face, the KKR management was forced to reinstall Sourav as skipper in IPL 3, where KKR made a promising start before fading out of the picture.
The problem is that for all Kolkatans, KKR has always been Dada's team and they are unlikely to accept any change. For Sourav, though, it is a win-win situation. He will not only have the sympathy of his hometown fans if he is dumped, but will also laugh all the way to the bank by signing up with one of the three franchises chasing him.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/iplarticleshow/7012277.cms
But the move can backfire badly as the team itself may lose lot of currency with fanatic fans in Kolkata if he's allowed to go away. As former Indian opener Devang Gandhi points out, KKR will lose their connectivity with local fans if they take the field without Sourav.
"Not only that, whichever franchise signs up Sourav will actually enjoy 'home advantage' when playing at Eden Gardens against KKR. Take my word for it, the crowd will root for Sourav and whichever team he plays for," added Devang, who knows the Eden crowd inside out, having played and watched cricket at this venue all his life.
Differences between Sourav and the KKR management soured prior to IPL 2 when their erstwhile coach John Buchanan came up with his weird 'multiple-captain' theory in a bid to dislodge the former India captain from the hot seat. In the face of widespread criticism, Buchanan never got around to implementing it on the field, but the KKR management did take away the captaincy from Sourav and handed it to New Zealand's Brendon McCullum with disastrous consequences. KKR cut a sorry figure on South African soil and finished last.
Stung by the loss of face, the KKR management was forced to reinstall Sourav as skipper in IPL 3, where KKR made a promising start before fading out of the picture.
The problem is that for all Kolkatans, KKR has always been Dada's team and they are unlikely to accept any change. For Sourav, though, it is a win-win situation. He will not only have the sympathy of his hometown fans if he is dumped, but will also laugh all the way to the bank by signing up with one of the three franchises chasing him.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/iplarticleshow/7012277.cms
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