Sourav Ganguly removed as 2009 KKR captain after issues with John Buchanan: Aakash Chopra

Former Team India Test opener Aakash Chopra made a big revelation about the reason behind current Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly losing his captaincy during his time at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former Delhi cricketer was also a part of the KKR side in 2008 and 2009.

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Aakash Chopra spoke about the topic in reference to Grant Flower recently accusing Younis Khan of pointing a knife to his throat. Chopra included the fractured relationship in the past between Sourav Ganguly and John Buchanan as one of the six volatile incidents between a coach and his players. 

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Aakash Chopra opens up on John Buchanan-Sourav Ganguly tussle

While talking on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra revealed that former Australia coach John Buchanan wanted the removal of Sourav Ganguly as skipper of the KKR side. He said that John Buchanan and Sourav Ganguly initially started on a good note but the relationship turned sour because John Buchanan's way of working and thought process was far different than that of Sourav Ganguly. 

Aakash Chopra also revealed that the relationship between the two got so bad that John Buchanan wanted to strip Sourav Ganguly from his captaincy, which happened the following season (2009). In the first season, Ganguly was seen as the pivot of KKR's batting but was virtually out of favour in the second season in South Africa when Brendon McCullum was made captain. Following the issue between Ganguly and Buchanan and KKR's failure under McCullum, the Australian was removed as coach and was replaced by Dav Whatmore and Sourav Ganguly was reinstated as skipper of KKR.

Also Read: Harbhajan Singh Recalls Playing Pranks On Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar; Watch Video

Ganguly vs Chappell controversy

Apart from John Buchanan, Sourav Ganguly also had issues with former Australia captain Greg Chappell during his stint with Team India. The Ganguly vs Chappell controversy made headlines due to series of events in late 2005 and early 2006. Greg Chappell was appointed as the coach of Team India in 2005 after being recommended by Sourav Ganguly but Chappell's tenure ended in 2007 amid controversies, including his rifts with Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. Sourav Ganguly had previously said that in the past that hiring Greg Chappell was his 'biggest mistake' after the current BCCI President lost not just his captaincy but also his place in the style due to the Ganguly vs Chappell controversy.

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Sourav Ganguly IPL career with KKR

Sourav Ganguly was signed as icon player by KKR in 2008. Under Ganguly's captaincy, the Kolkata-based franchise finished at the sixth spot in IPL 2008 while they again failed to qualify for the knockout stages in Ganguly's second stint as captain - in 2010. The former Team India skipper went unsold in IPL 2011 auction.

Ganguly joined Pune Warriors as a replacement player during the season and led them in 2012. He was also Pune's mentor in that season. Following Ganguly's release, KKR appointed Gautam Gambhir as their captain in 2011 and retained him for seven seasons. They won the tournament in 2012 and 2014.

(IMAGE: PTI)