The Kolkata Knight Riders have decided not to have a fixed captain for the IPL this season. John Buchanan, the coach, told a press conference that the decision was "not a slight" to Sourav Ganguly but a plan for the future. He said there could be four or five captains through the tournament.
A grim-looking Ganguly, sitting beside Buchanan at the press conference, refused to elaborate on the decision and simply said the concept was new and needed to be assessed as it went on. Asked if he was upset by it, Ganguly did not answer directly and Buchanan interjected: "Of course he will be upset. He is the Prince of Kolkata." Ganguly laughed and put his hands up and said "I am not upset".
Ganguly said the plan was Buchanan's. "He is the coach of the team and he has got the right to make decisions. We'll see as it goes along. At the end of the day we all have to deliver."
Buchanan was at pains to explain that the multiple-captains theory was not prompted by a lack of confidence in Ganguly's leadership skills. "In fact it could actually be of benefit to someone like him because it could free him up for his batting, when he just needs to his batting or for his fielding when he just needs to do his fielding or when he needs to just do his bowling without the burden of the twenty-over format on his shoulders. At the same stage we might be asking him to make some key decisions for us. It has nothing to do with Sourav Ganguly whatsoever. It has everything to do with how I perceive the 20-over game and what the demands are running that game should be."
