IPL 2018: Ricky Ponting confirms Gautam Gambhir will captain Delhi Daredevils

After securing the services of Gautam Gambhir for just 2.8 crore in the IPL 2018 Auction, Delhi Daredevils coach Ricky Ponting confirmed that the opening batsman will captain the franchise in the 11th edition of the IPL.

The former Australian captain, who was appointed as coach of the Daredevils confirmed that they had a few conversations with Gambhir about leading the side. He also added that the southpaw's last season of T20 was very productive as well.

Speaking after signing Gautam Gambhir at the end of day one of the IPL 2018 Auction, Ponting said: "We've had a fair bit of thought into that. It's likely right now that Gautam Gambhir will lead Delhi next season. We had a few conversations with him leading into the Auction today and he had sort of conveyed to us that he would like the opportunity to come back to his home, back to Delhi and hopefully lead the team.

"If you look at his leadership credentials, it is pretty hard to fault anything that he has done during his time at KKR. We felt just that little bit of experience around some of the young Indian players that we kept in Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant would help them a lot. So we have gone for an experienced captain and I'm sure he will do a good job for us."

Gambhir was part of the victorious Delhi side that claimed the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy by beating Rajasthan in the final on Friday. The 36-year-old opening batsman is the fourth-leading run-getter in IPL history and will return to Delhi Daredevils after leaving Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2018.

Gambhir led KKR to two IPL titles and previously played for Delhi in the first three seasons of the IPL. The addition of Gambhir, who brings experience and consistency to the side, will be a huge boost for Daredevils as they look to claim their first IPL title.