As the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the 11th edition of the tournament is coming with a reshuffle of players, Gautam Gambhir, who led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title twice (2012, 2014), has expressed ambiguity over his association with the franchise.

After reaching the Ranji Trophy final, Gambhir said, “It is very surprising that I have not spoken to anyone (in KKR management). I don’t know about myself (future with KKR). We’ll probably sit and talk after the Ranji final.”

When asked whether he is open to playing for any franchise, Gambhir said, “Yes, I am.”

Ahead of the auction, the IPL Governing Council has asked the franchises to name their retained players by January 4. Under the leadership of Gambhir, KKR has been a rebounding team and have reached the playoffs on three occasions besides winning two seasons of the cash-rich tournament.

Taking about the same, Gautam said, “You have achieved so much for KKR. You have done whatever you could. If things do not work out in future, the good part is that you are leaving a franchise on a good note, when it has become a successful franchise. Not when you were struggling. As a professional, you want different challenges. There is nothing wrong with it. That’ll keep you motivated and hungry.”

Currently, captain Gambhir is focusing on the Ranji Trophy final, after defeating Bengal by 26 runs on Tuesday, Delhi will take on first-time Ranji finalists Vidarbha in Indore next week.