“If Limit Is 2 Million, Go To 2 Million.”, Says Gambhir To SRK While Convincing Him To Buy Sunil In IPL
IPL 2018 is in the final leg of the tournament. Kolkata Knight Riders owned by Shah Rukh Khan is doing pretty well under the new leadership of in-form wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. One of the major reason behind KKR’s success is all-rounder Sunil Narine.
Despite KKR’s decent success in IPL 2018, it was Gautam Gambhir who changed the fortune of the franchise when he was bought by the team for $2.4 Million (Rs. 16 Crore) back in 2011. Prior to Gambhir’s inclusion, KKR was performing poorly. Gambhir gave them two IPL titles in 2014 and 2016.
West Indian all-rounder Sunil Narine plays a very important part in KKR’s success over the years. The last match also, KKR won against KXIP because of Sunil Narine, who contributed with both bat and ball. He scored a blistering 75 off just 36 balls.
However, very litter is known about how he was brought in the team. When Narine made his entry in IPL for KKR, he was a newcomer and played only 3 international matches. No one in the team management of KKR including co-owner Shah Rukh Khan had heard about him anything. It was Gautam Gambhir, who was eager to have him in the team.
The KKR management also showed complete faith in their new captain and bought Narine for $700,000 (Rs. 4.71 Crore). You might think that the price is too low, but it was pretty high for any newcomer back in 2011.
When KKR CEO Venky called Gautam and asked him about whom to buy at the auction, Gautam took the name of Sunil Narine.
Here Is Their Conversation:
Venky: “Tomorrow is the auction, so who do you think we should go for?”
Gambhir: “Let’s go for Sunil Narine.”
Venky: “So who’s this guy?”
Gambhir: “Just remember the name, forget about who’s this guy. Just remember him.”
Venky was not convinced by Gautam Gambhir, so co-owner SRK called him. He was in a mall with his wife Natasha, when Gautam received a call from Shah Rukh Khan. SRK asked Gautam of whether he is sure about his decision, to which he asked about the budget. SRK told him that the budget was $2 million (Rs. 13 Crore), Gautam told him to buy Sunil for Rs. $2 Million (Rs. 13 Crore). He assured them that they would not need anyone else after Sunil.
Here Is Their Conversation:
SRK: “Should we go for someone else? You’re saying that we need to go with Sunil Narine?”
Gambhir: “Till what budget do you want to go in the auction? How much is the limit?”
SRK: “Two million. But who is this guy? Are you sure you want him?”
Gambhir: “Yes. And if the limit is two million, go to two million. We don’t need anyone else.”
SRK: “If you want him, we’ll get him.”
Sunil was bought by KKR for $700,000 (Rs. 4.71 Crore) much more than his base price $50,000 (Rs. 33 Lakh). Sunil has been instrumental in KKR’s success for many years.
While talking about Sunil’s selection, Gautam had said,
“I think neither Shah Rukh nor our CEO knew who he was because he had only played one game for West Indies before that. And when he got picked, he himself was surprised.”
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