NEW DELHI:
Gautam Gambhir
's leadership was instrumental in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) emergence as a dominant force, clinching two IPL titles over the past decade. Now, Gambhir, who is known for being "tough to handle," is determined to reignite joy among their devoted yet somewhat disheartened fans.
Gambhir took over the reins of KKR during the fourth IPL season in 2011, following the team's lackluster performances in the initial three years.
Under his guidance, KKR made it to the knockouts in his first year and went on to secure two titles between 2012 and 2014.
After consecutive seventh-place finishes in recent seasons, Gambhir's return is anticipated to infuse renewed vigor and discipline into the squad.
With KKR's seventh-place finishes in the last two seasons, mentor Gambhir's presence is expected to inject fresh vigour and discipline into the squad.
It will be interesting to see what kind of bond Gambhir forges with another strong-willed personality in the coaching staff - Chandrakant Pandit.
Ahead of the
IPL 2024
season, Gambhir revealed his conversation with the Bollywood superstar and team's co-owner Shah Rukh Khan.
"Firstly, I want to say one thing -- I'm a very tough guy to handle. I have to thank SRK (team principal owner Shah Rukh Khan) and Venky bhai (CEO Venky Mysore) who is here as well... They have taken a lot of my tantrums, and stubbornness for such a long period of time."
"Kyun ke sach yeh hai ki hum sachchai se ladna jaante hai, hum haar na jaante hai, aur hum jitna bhi jaante hain (Because the truth is that we know how to fight with honesty, we know how to lose, and we know how to win)," he added.
Talking about his initial days with KKR, Gambhir recalled, "He (SRK) only told me the same thing that he had told me when I joined KKR as a player in 2011: 'This is your franchise, make it or break it.'
"He told me exactly the same thing. I don't know what's going to happen, but I can assure you that whenever I leave this place, we will be in a much better position."
KKR will kick off their IPL 2024 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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