Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 7 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa recalled how defending Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) struggled for years after their former skipper Gautam Gambhir’s departure and his reaction to the World Cup-winning star, now an Indian team head coach, coming back to the franchise last year as a mentor.
KKR will kickstart their title defence against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at their home arena of Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22, which will also be the tournament opener. Under Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer last year, KKR secured their first title in 10 years and overall third, with several stars like Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc delivering memorable performances.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Uthappa, who had a stint with KKR from 2014 and 2019 and was the part of Gambhir’s title-winning team in 2014 as a Orange Cap winner for most runs (660 runs in 16 matches with five fifties), said, “When Gautam was no longer with KKR (after 2017 season), it felt like–where are the pieces going to settle? Since his exit, there was a slight loss of direction. I think, at one point, panic set in. From the outside, you could sense that things were not as smooth as they seemed.”
“You always expect KKR to perform at a high level, and when the performances did not match the team’s aura, it became evident that something had to change. As soon as I heard that Gautam Gambhir was coming back, I remember tweeting that the best thing to happen to KKR since Gautam Gambhir leaving, was Gautam Gambhir coming back,” he added.
After Gambhir’s exit following the 2017 season, KKR made it to playoffs only twice, once finishing as runners-up in 2021 before the former batter came back for the 2024 season as a mentor.
Speaking on Gambhir’s strategy with KKR on his return, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra said that the strategy involved “four pillars”, i.e to express faith in then most-expensive buy Starc (at Rs 24.75 crores), who ended with 17 wickets at an average of 26.11 and brilliant spells in playoffs, promotion of Sunil Narine, a spin-bowling all-rounder, as an opener again, which resulted in him scoring 488 runs including a century and three fifties alongside 17 wickets, reuniting with Shreyas Iyer, who was once Gambhir’s teammate in Delhi Capitals (DC) and investing in young talent.
Also, actor Shah Rukh Khan expressed about Gambhir’s return in 2024, “I never thought Gautam Gambhir left us. There has always been a lovely relationship with Gautam over the years. There are a few players with whom friendships remain strong, and Gautam Gambhir is one of them. For him, it was a big homecoming.”
Aakash also pointed out that for someone like Gambhir, a team needs captain like Iyer.
“Gautam is always deeply involved–he handpicks the players, decides the strategy, and brings a clear vision. To complement that, the captain has to be someone without conflicting thoughts. There are contrasting styles between the two–Gautam is intense, always in your face, while Shreyas has a laid-back, composed approach. But together, they were the perfect match, balancing each other out,” he added. (ANI)
