XtraTime Web Desk: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore revealed it was ‘not a big decision’ for him to leave Sourav Ganguly ahead of the 2011 IPL auction. The KKR management including Mysore came under a lot of criticism in the manner they decided to sack the marquee player.
The Knight Riders management decided to release Ganguly after three unsuccessful seasons where they ended up sixth, eights and sixth respectively. Ganguly was the captain of KKR in 2008 & 2009 seasons.
“Personally, for me, it didn’t seem like a big decision, only because I was unattached to it,” Mysore said in The RK Show.
He added, “If I had been part of the organisation for three years, or even one year or two years, it would have been a tougher decision.”
Mysore joined KKR after the 2010 IPL and immediately took to revamping the squad. Gautam Gambhir was bought in the 2011 auction and he replaced Ganguly as captain. Under Gambhir, KKR went on to win two IPL titles – in 2012 and 2014.
“This was like someone completely coming in from the outside, which is what I was, literally from the outside. Eventually, I realised, that for the organisation and for the owners, in particular, it was tough. It’s a decision and an approach that I proposed as somebody who had been given the mandate,” Mysore recalled.
Mysore said that although the franchise had to face the ire of fans who were displeased at Ganguly being shown the door, the team owners and the management supported his decision to the fullest.
“I look back at it, and I basically said that, ‘I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do or not, and we may fall flat on our face. But, it’s a different approach. Are we all on board with this?’