‘Got 400 Messages’ – Joy Bhattacharjya reveals story behind Sourav Ganguly’s KKR snub – India TV

Three-time IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders are now the second-most successful side in the tournament after Mumbai Indians’ and Chennai Super Kings’ tally of five titles each. However, the recent success of KKR does not define the franchise’s early struggles in the IPL.

In the first three seasons of the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders failed to secure a single playoff finish under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership. The franchise then made the decision to not retain Ganguly in the IPL 2011 mega auction.

Incidentally, the Kolkata fans were quite upset with the decision to let Ganguly go. Former KKR team director Joy Bhattacharjya came forward and talked about the atmosphere after Ganguly was not picked by the franchise. He also revealed team owner Shah Rukh Khan’s involvement in the decision. 

“When Sourav Ganguly was not bid for, within five minutes I got 400 messages on my phone. There was somebody who put on all groups saying, ‘This is a Bengali who has betrayed our Bengali icon Sourav Ganguly; please tell him what we think of him,'” Bhattacharjya said on ‘A Century of Stories’ podcast.

“It reached a stage where I had to turn around and tell my dad that perhaps he should take down our address board from his house in Salt Lake,” Bhattacharjya added.

Furthermore, Bhattacharjya  revealed that Shah Rukh Khan left the decision to the higher-ups, that it was up to them to retain Ganguly or not. “Shah Rukh first distanced himself. He said, ‘If you want Sourav, keep Sourav. If you don’t want him, your call. Dav Whatmore was the coach; I was there; Venky Mysore, the CEO, was there,” Bhattacharjya said.

It is interesting to note that letting go of Ganguly meant that Kolkata Knight Riders were putting faith in Gautam Gambhir. Leading the franchise, Gambhir oversaw one of KKR’s most successful phases, where the side won the IPL in 2021 and 2014. He even mentored the team to a title in 2024 and has been a stalwart for the franchise even after retirement.