Brendan McCullum is IPL Kolkata Knight Riders captain
Dispelling all fuzziness about the captaincy issue, Shahrukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have said that Kiwi wicket-keeper batsman Brendon McCullum will captain the KKR side for the DLF IPL season 2.John Buchanan, the coach of KKR has confirmed that McCullum will remain as the captain of the team for the entire IPL season 2.
“As a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders it is good to be here for the tournament and we have appointed McCullum as our team captain, which we are very happy about,” Buchanan told reporters here.
Buchanan added that McCullum was the best option for the team, which is aiming for a semi-final berth in the IPL season 2. He also stated that Saurav Ganguly, who captained the side in the IPL season 1, has taken the news well and is a part of the core group.
Earlier in April 2009, Buchanan had proposed his multiple captaincy theory, which did not go very well with KKR’s ex-captain Saurav Ganguly.
Then, Ganguly had openly opposed the idea saying, “Tomorrow I can ask for four different coaches.”
A number of other cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar, Dileep Vengsarkar, and Shane Warne, also opposed Buchanan’s multiple captaincy theory.
On the other hand, team owner Shahrukh Khan said that the idea should be given a chance and he would rather try and fail instead of not trying.
In their first IPL season 2 match, that will take place on April 19, 2009, KKR will take on the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers.
Brendan McCullum is the wicket-keeper and opening batsman of the New Zealand team. The 27-year-old, known for his aggressive batting skills, scored 158 unbeaten runs in the first match of the Kolkata Knight Riders, on April 18, 2008, in IPL season 1.
His unbeaten 158 is the highest score ever in a Twenty20 match.
The IPL season 2, which will run from April 18 – May 25, 2009, was kicked off on April 16, 2009, with much fanfare.
A procession of the eight franchisees with the teams and team owners, passed through the city centre in Cape Town, with the crowds cheering from both sides of the road. The Kolkata Knight Riders tableaux was a huge draw because of the immense popularity of team owner and Bollywood superstar, Shahrukh Khan.
The eight franchisees in the IPL are Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils, and Kolkata Knight Riders.
The IPL Season 1 winning team was the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals while the runner-up was the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.