Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan recently revealed he never thought Gautam Gambhir had ever parted ways with the franchise, even though he was back as a mentor ahead of the previous Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Gambhir's return was a game-changer for KKR, and the team won its third IPL title after waiting for a decade. Under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy, KKR won convincingly over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.
"I never believed Gautam Gambhir had left us. Over the years, we’ve always shared a wonderful relationship. Some friendships remain strong regardless of time, and Gautam is one of those people. For him, returning to KKR was like coming home," Shah Rukh expressed during JioHotstar's ‘Power Play’.
However, Gambhir’s tenure with KKR was short-lived, as he took over as India’s head coach in July last year following Rahul Dravid’s departure.
Veteran KKR cricketer Robin Uthappa commented on Gambhir's departure in 2017, citing that it left a leadership vacuum that affected the team's performance.
"When Gautam was not with KKR, there was a sense of things being out of order. There was uncertainty as to which direction the team was going. You could feel some instability creeping in over the passage of time. KKR has always been such a performing franchise, and when performance did not live up to expectations, one knew that a change had to come.".
"As soon as I heard Gautam Gambhir coming back, I recall tweeting that the best thing to have happened to KKR after his departure was his return!" Uthappa said.
Former Indian player Ajay Jadeja also commented on KKR's transformation, especially after the Sourav Ganguly era.
"The relation between KKR and Sourav Ganguly—whether between fans or in the team—was not yielding desired outcomes. Therefore, in 2011, the franchise decided on a total makeover. It was a watershed moment; until 2011, KKR used to be perceived as Ganguly's team. But later it became Shah Rukh Khan's team with Gautam Gambhir leading them," Jadeja said.
With the season of IPL 2025 coming up, KKR has named seasoned Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane its new captain, while all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer was named vice-captain.
Rahane has earlier IPL captaincy experience, guiding Rajasthan Royals into the playoffs during 2018 and earlier serving as captain for the now-extinct Rising Pune Supergiant. Though KKR weighed many leadership options against each other, including Iyer, who was their costliest acquisition at Rs 23.75 crore during the mega auction, and Rinku Singh, Rahane was the eventual pick.
In Indian domestic cricket, Rahane led Mumbai to a recent win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was the tournament's top run-scorer with 469 runs from nine games. His impressive performances, including five half-centuries, earned him the Player of the Tournament award, further establishing his leadership credentials.
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