Gautam Gambhir was the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2024. The franchise won their third trophy in the previous season, but Gambhir left the team to become Team India’s head coach. The management and the owners decided to retain six players who were backed by the legendary batter. Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, and Ramandeep Singh were kept part of the squad for the new season.
Former India player Navjot Singh Sidhu feels KKR have a strong unit, and the credit goes to the decision-makers for sticking with Gambhir’s formula. He commented after the Ajinkya Rahane-led team defeated Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets in 10.1 overs at Chepauk.
Kolkata are third in the table with six points from six matches. The defending champions have won three games and lost as many in the current edition. “KKR have the No.1 spin attack in the IPL 2025. You will not get three spinners in other franchises. They have a solid side. Kolkata are following the winning formula of Gautam Gambhir. The players backed by him were retained by the franchise,” Sidhu said.
“Sunil Narine didn’t open the batting for years, but the moment Gambhir joined them last season, he sent the West Indies player to the opening slot. You see the combination of Rinku and Russell. They can win matches from anywhere. Ramandeep, another match-winner, bats in the lower order,” he added.
KKR have been inconsistent this year, and the team needs better performances to make it to the playoffs.