Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir is appointed as mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024 edition. Gautam has some unbelievable knocks as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain and also made it champion two times in IPL.
In his captaincy, KKR qualified five times in the eight years of his captaincy from 2011 to 2017. KKR wasn’t able to qualify even for the playoffs in the first three editions of the IPL.
From ending in group league to creating a chance to qualify for the playoffs, Gambhir made it possible by implementing his super-powerful captaincy skills inside Kolkata Knight Rider’s team.
Legacy of Gautam Gambhir with KKR
From the start of IPL, the domination of the Kolkata Knight Riders team has not been as expected in IPL. Fans thought Saurabh Gnaguly or Brendon Macculum would guide the team in a better way and ultimately make it the IPL champion, but that didn’t happen.
Team management had to find a person who could guide a new team in the right direction, and they selected Gautam to take over the responsibility and build a strong foundation inside the team. Under Gautam’s captaincy, KKR won the 2012 & 2014 IPL titles and qualified for playoffs five times.
In 2012, KKR won the final against the powerful Chennai Super Kings team in Cheapauk Stadium, which seemed an impossible thing till that time. In 2014, KKR chased a high score in the final and won the match against Kings 11 Punjab with complete dominance.
Reaction from Gautam
Gautam has a special attachment with the Kolkata Knight Riders team, as he has led it for eight long years. He expressed this in his words.
He said, ”I am not an emotional person and not many things move me. But this is different. This is back to where it all started. Today, there is a lump in my throat and fire in my heart as I think about slipping into that purple and gold jersey once again’.
Gambhir added, ”I’m not only coming back to KKR, I’m coming back to the city of joy. I’m back, I’m hungry, I’m number 23, Ami KKR.”
Reactions from KKR Franchise and Fans
KKR management is also very happy to make this decision to return Gautam. After seeing the team’s poor performance in previous seasons, they wanted to make a change, and they did it.
After Gautam’s confirmation, KKR CEO Venky Mysore revealed that Gambhir will work with head coach Chandrakant Pandit as the team’s mentor.
KKR’s principal Shah Rukh Khan said, ”
“Gautam has always been part of the family, and this is our ‘Captain’ coming back home in a different avatar as a ‘Mentor’. He was sorely missed, and now we all look forward to Chandu Sir and Gautam in instilling the never-say-die spirit and sportsmanship they stand for, in creating magic with Team KKR.”
Gambhir’s Impact on Player Development
Gambhir always supported new players by giving them a chance in multiple games to test their skill set. Sunil Narayan flourished in KKR under his captaincy.
Also, he gave him the freedom to Andre Russel to play on his own terms. The result was we saw some tremendous knocks out of Russel’s bat.
Gautam has the power to pick the right skill and place it in the right position of the team. He also directed bowlers like Lakshmipati Balaji in some matches, who played a very vital role in the 2012 IPL final.
Gautam also worked as a mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants team in the IPL 2022 & 2023 editions and helped to reach the team in the playoffs.
Final Words
The decision to bring Gautam back is welcomed by KKR fans, and they are eagerly waiting to see the performance of KKR under Gautam’s guidance.
Gautam also expressed his excitement to come back to KKR in his words. The aggressiveness in the field as a batsman and the calmness in captaincy is something that fans are eagerly waiting for.
Above all, Eden Garden will see the ‘Gauti Gauti’ chants from the crowd again with this important comeback of Gautam Gambhir.