Former India and KKR cricketer Gautam Gambhir has joined the Kolkata Knight Riders’ camp ahead of the Indian Premier League 2024. Gautam Gambhir has been roped in as the mentor of KKR for the upcoming tournament.
Ahead of the much-awaited tournament, Gautam Gambhir named the X-factor for the Kolkata franchise in the upcoming IPL season. He expressed confidence in the Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc.
For the unversed, KKR bought the services of Mitchell Starc for a record Rs 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction, making him the most expensive player in the history of IPL. Starc will make a comeback in the Indian Premier League after a gap of nine years. His last appearance in the IPL came for RCB during the IPL 2015 season.
Gautam Gambhir Named The X-Factor Of Kolkata Knight Riders’ Squad
KKR earlier signed for Rs 9.40 crore ahead of IPL 2018 but the left-arm pacer opted out of the event due to a right leg injury.
Meanwhile, after joining the KKR camp, Gautam Gambhir talked about the hefty price tag wouldn’t burden Mitchell Starc. Gambhir expressed hope that Starc would continue with his stellar form in the IPL as well. He said:
“I had already said on the auction table that he [Starc] is an X-factor and I am sure he is going to deliver. And there’s no such pressure of a price tag,”
He added: “I hope that what he has done in international cricket, he can do the same for KKR,”
Further, Gambhir expressed his emotional connection with the franchise, highlighting the importance of the team to him. He also expressed his determination to meet the expectations of the fans. He said:
“I have always mentioned that KKR to me is not a franchise, but an emotion. I am thus happy to be back. I know there will be expectations and I hope to live up to it and make the fans happy,”
For the unversed, Gautam Gambhir has a special connection with the KKR team, having led the franchise to victory in two seasons — 2012 and 2014. Despite serving as a mentor for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the past two seasons, Gambhir has decided to switch to the Knight Riders for the upcoming season.
Under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, KKR will commence their IPL 2024 campaign with a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Eden Gardens on March 23. The team is scheduled to play only three matches in the initial phase of the highly anticipated season.
