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.
Also See: IPL schedule 2024
Under his guidance, KKR made it to the knockouts in his first year and went on to secure two titles between 2012 and 2014.
1/10:10 IPL captains with highest win percentage
Getty Images
2/10:Daniel Vettori
<p>Daniel Vettori rounds off the list with an overall win percentage of 54.54%, captaining RCB in 22 matches.</p>Getty Images
3/10:Rishabh Pant
<p>Rishabh Pant holds the ninth spot with an overall win percentage of 55%, having led DC in 30 matches.</p>Getty Images
4/10:Gautam Gambhir
<p>Gautam Gambhir achieved a win percentage of 55.42%, with 71 wins out of 129 matches as captain for DC and KKR.</p>Getty Images
5/10:Shane Warne
<p>Shane Warne secures the seventh position with an overall win percentage of 55.45%, leading RR in 55 matches.</p>Getty Images
6/10:Rohit Sharma
<p>Rohit Sharma boasts a win percentage of 56.32%, securing victory in 87 out of 158 matches as captain for MI.</p>Getty Images
7/10:Anil Kumble
<p>Anil Kumble holds the fifth position with an overall win percentage of 57.69%, captaining RCB in 26 matches.</p>Getty Images
8/10:Sachin Tendulkar
<p>Sachin Tendulkar achieved an overall win percentage of 58.82%, captaining MI in 51 matches.</p>Getty Images
9/10:MS Dhoni
<p>MS Dhoni leads with a win percentage of 59.37%, having won 133 out of 226 matches as captain.</p>Getty Images
10/10:Steve Smith
<p>Steve Smith holds the second position with an overall win percentage of 59.52%, captaining in 43 matches for PWI, RPS, and RR.</p>Getty ImagesAfter 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."
1/9:Top players who will miss IPL 2024
Agencies
2/9:Lungi Ngidi (DC)
<p>DC faced another setback as South African pacer Lungi Ngidi was ruled out due to injury.<br /></p>Agencies
3/9:Gus Atkinson (KKR)
<p>England fast bowler Gus Atkinson decided to skip his debut IPL season to manage his workload. Sri Lanka's Dushmantha Chameera will replace him.</p>Agencies
4/9:Devon Conway (CSK)
<p>New Zealand batter Devon Conway had thumb surgery and will be out for eight weeks. Chennai Super Kings haven't named a replacement yet.<br /></p>Agencies
5/9:Jason Roy (KKR)
<p>England opener Jason Roy has pulled out of IPL 2024 for personal reasons. He's replaced by England's Phil Salt, currently ranked second in T20I rankings.<br /></p>Agencies
6/9:Prasidh Krishna (RR)
<p>Indian fast bowler Prasidh Krishna will miss his second consecutive IPL season due to surgery on his quadriceps tendon, injured during the Ranji Trophy.</p>Agencies
7/9:Mark Wood (LSG)
<p>ECB withdrew Mark Wood from the IPL to manage his workload for the T20 World Cup and England's summer. </p>Agencies
8/9:Matthew Wade (GT)
<p>Matthew Wade will skip Titans' first game against MI on March 25 and maybe the second on March 27. He's playing in the Sheffield Shield final for Tasmania from March 21 to 25.</p>Agencies
9/9:Mohammed Shami (GT)
<p>Mohammed Shami, the leading wicket-taker of the 2023 IPL season, is out of IPL 2024 due to an ankle injury from the 2023 ODI World Cup. </p>ANI"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.
