Kiccha Sudeep on CCL: It’s not about what I do on the field; it’s only about doing what’s best for the team to win

This season of the Celebrity Cricket League is the first time that Kiccha Sudeep is not leading his side, the Karnataka Bulldozers. He’s passed on the mantle to Pradeep Bogadi as captain and J Karthik as vice-captain, two of the most trusted players on the side, who’ve played all seasons with him. Sudeep is still an integral part of the team, taking it easy as far as possible, but also giving it his all when he’s keeping wickets.

On March 4, the Bulldozers are taking on the Chennai Rhinos, which is also a strong team. “We should never take the opposition for granted. Yes, we should look out for their weaknesses, but never think thy are weak. We just need to focus on winning and will give our best,” he says.

Speaking about his contribution to the team and the match, Sudeep added that in cricket, the real captain is behind the wickets and that’s his forte. “My responsibilities have been clearly laid out. The team has a lot of good, talented batsmen; I will head out only if absolutely necessary,” he said, speaking to a Kannada news channel. The superstar added that all he wants to see is for the team to win and that he is not hung up about batting, or doing something to put the spotlight on him. “The team has to win and for that I will do anything that’s necessary,” he adds.

As for Pradeep, Sudeep says that he is immensely proud of the skipper. A week ago, Pradeep was captaining a team at the Kannada Chalanachitra Cup and played three T-10 matches in a day, despite nursing a bruised knee with fluid retention, and then flew to Jaipur within hours for a CCL match. Sudeep takes pride in having groomed Pradeep as a fantastic player, which is also why he has no issues about playing under his captaincy, despite being the senior most member of the team.