Gautam Gambhir leaves LSG to join KKR as mentor

KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday announced the return of the former cricketer Gautam Gambhir as ‘mentor’ of the franchise and will join hands with head coach Chandrakant Pandit.

Earlier, Gambhir was associated with the Kolkata-based franchise from 2011 to 2017, which is considered the golden period of KKR. During this period, the team won the Indian Premier League (IPL) twice, qualified for the playoffs five times and reached the finals of the Champions League T20 in 2014.

Speaking on his return, the former India opener said that this move made him emotional since he will be returning to his former team. Gambhir also added that he is not only coming back to the franchise, but to the ‘City of Joy’.

“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. I am not only coming back to KKR, but I am coming back to the city of joy. I am back. I am hungry. I am number 23. Ami KKR”, Gambhir said as quoted by a release from KKR.

On the other hand, Shah Rukh Khan said that the left-handed batter was sorely missed and now they all look forward to working with him.

“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”, SRK said.

In the previous season of the IPL, Gambhir served as the mentor of the Lucknow-based franchise. In IPL 2023, LSG finished the season in third place on the standings with 17 points after winning eight out of 14 games. (ANI)

Gautam Gambhir penned down an emotional note after he ended his stint with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), thanking everyone at the franchise for making his time “memorable”. Gambhir served as LSG’s mentor for two years during which the franchise finished third in both seasons.

After making their place in the playoff, they got eliminated by Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in the 2022 and 2023 seasons respectively.

The former batter took to X to thank everyone who made his journey memorable. “As I announce the end of my impeccable journey with Lucknow Super Giants, I am filled with love and immense gratitude towards all the players, coaches, support staff and every individual who has made this journey memorable. I would like to thank Dr Sanjiv Goenka for his inspiring leadership while creating this remarkable franchise and for his tremendous support to all my endeavours. I’m sure that the team will do wonders in the future and will make every LSG fan proud. All the very best LSG brigade”, Gambhir wrote on X.

Gambhir, in his decorated career, won the T20I (2007) and ODI (2011) World Cup championships. Gambhir’s time with KKR lasted from 2011-17 and was nothing short of remarkable. During this period, the team won the IPL title twice, qualified for the playoffs five times, and reached the finals of the Champions League T20 in 2014 as well. (ANI)