The former India cricketer also revealed how a “misunderstanding” led to him losing his IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils.
Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary was once an integral member of Kolkata Knight Riders between 2010 and 2013. In 2012, in the final against Chennai Super Kings, he scored the winning run, a boundary against Dwayne Bravo at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, to help KKR win their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title. However, Tiwary, who only played one more season for Kolkata, made a shocking revelation on how his stint at the franchise was cut short following a huge fight in the dressing room with then-skipper Gautam Gambhir.
The KKR star was part of the franchise between 2010 and 2013.
The big revelation happened just a few days after Tiwary ended his Ranji Trophy career at the Eden Gardens after leading Bengal to a win against Bihar in their final league game. Speaking to Anandabazar Patrika, the 38-year-old revealed he had a big fight with Gambhir, who has now returned to KKR as their mentor, in the dressing room in 2013, a news that never came to light. He further admitted that had that incident not happened, he would have played a few more seasons for KKR and probably even gained a monetary benefit for the longer stint, although he does not regret it.
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“During my time at KKR, I had a big fight with Gambhir in the dressing room. That never came to light. KKR became the champion in 2012. At that time, I managed to hit four, so the team won. I got a chance to play for KKR one more year. Had I not fought with Gambhir in 2013, maybe I would have played for another two-three years. That means the amount I was supposed to get as per the contract would have gone up. Bank balance would be strengthened. But I never thought about that,” he said.
Tiwary, who was earlier part of the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) franchise, between 2008 and 2009, also revealed that he was disappointed in the way the franchise functioned in terms of picking their playing XI. He felt that better players were constantly ignored while few were injured. Frustrated at the lack of opportunities, Tiwary told the management to release him, which later backfired as he lost his contract thereafter.
“Gary Kirsten was the coach when I played for Delhi Capitals. I was seeing in front of my eyes in one match after another that the first eleven was not going well. The combination is not correct. Eligible cricketers were not getting a chance to play. Many were out due to injuries. The results of the team were not good. I went straight and said, leave me if you can’t put me in the XI. My contract then was ₹2.8 crore. I never thought that if I said this, they would misunderstand me and leave me. Never thought of my loss,” he said.
Tiwary played 96 IPL matches across his career, the last being in 2018, scoring 1686 runs with seven fifties.
