“Never felt that Gautam Gambhir left us: KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan”

Shah Rukh Khan, the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, has said that he never felt Gautam Gambhir left the team. Shah Rukh said that he always felt that Gambhir was still a member of the squad, even during the time when he had no involvement with KKR.

Before the 2024 tournament, which KKR memorably won under Shyreas Iyer‘s captaincy, Gambhir, who led the franchise to two IPL victories in 2012 and 2014, had returned as head coach.

“I didn’t believe Gautam Gambhir had abandoned us. Over the years, the relationship with Gautam has always been pleasant. Gautam Gambhir is one of the rare players with whom friendships are still quite strong. It was a huge homecoming for him,” Shah Rukh stated on JioHotstar.

Gambhir’s reunion with the club, however, was not long-lasting since the BCCI hired him as India’s head coach after the 2024 IPL ended and Rahul Dravid’s coaching career came to an end.

Robin Uthappa, a former cricket player for India, shared his thoughts on the impact Gambhir’s arrival had on KKR and how the team suffered without him.

“I wondered where the pieces would fall into place when Gautam left KKR. There had been a small loss of direction since his departure. I believe terror struck at one point. You could tell from the outside that things weren’t going as well as they appeared. It was clear that something needed to happen when KKR’s performances fell short of the high standards you typically anticipate from the squad. When I first learnt that Gautam Gambhir would be returning, I recall tweeting that it was the nicest thing that had happened to KKR since his departure.

Aakash Chopra, a former opener for India, also praised Gautam Gambhir for his approach to team building, which was crucial to KKR winning their third championship.

“I believed that the team was created on four pillars when Gautam Gambhir returned as a mentor and then assembled the squad. The steadfast trust in Mitchell Starc came first. The choice to promote Sunil Narine as an opener comes in second. Reuniting with Shreyas Iyer was the third essential component. Lastly, but no less significant, was making investments in emerging talent.

Ajinkya Rahane, who will be joining the team for a second time after 2022, has taken Shreyas Iyer’s place after KKR released the title-winning captain. Rahane was purchased by KKR at his base price of INR 1.5 crore in the accelerated round of the mega auction held in November of last year after going unsold in the main round. His deputy will be Venkatesh Iyer, an all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh.

On March 22, defending champions KKR will play their first game of the 2025 season at Eden Gardens against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.