Kolkata/New Delhi, Apr 2 (ANI); Fans of Sourav Ganguly celebrated his appointment as the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), one of the teams in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, to be staged in South Africa.

Fans, carrying posters of Ganguly and KKR owner Shahrukh Khan, took to the streets, dancing and celebrating with colours.

Commending Khan's decision to retain Ganguly as the KKR captain, the fans said that coach John Buchanan's idea of "multiple" captains for the team was not practical.

"Buchanan said that there should be four captains in KKR, but we wanted Ganguly to remain as the captain. We requested Khan for Ganguly's captainship because in one team four captains should not be there. We will always be there for Ganguly," said Ratan Haldar, one of the fans.

As the countdown to the second IPL begins, middle order batsman Robin Uthappa, who played for Mumbai Indians in the first edition last year, has returned to play for home team Bangalore Royal Challengers.

"One has to understand that the IPL is a fantastic platform for all youngsters and fringe players to make a comeback in the side. Even for someone like Yusuf Pathan, it was a fantastic platform for him that brought him into the side. So, if people like me are trying to make a comeback, it's going to be a superb platform for me," said Uthappa.

The IPL will start from April 10 and will continue till May 24 in South Africa. The tournament will feature 59 matches. (ANI)