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Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Gautam Gambhir makes a grand return to the franchise as a mentor. The two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winning captain left his role within the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) coaching setup.
KKR formally announced Gambhir's return to KKR on Wednesday, November 22, moments after the former batter announced his departure from the LSG setup on X. The Knight Riders then released a statement, which included positive words from team owner Shahrukh Khan as well as the returning ace himself.
Gambhir expressed his pleasure at having returned to KKR as a mentor through the statement released by the franchise. He also proceeded to write on X regarding the same.
"I’m back. I’m hungry. I’m No.23. Ami KKR," he wrote.
The former cricketer was involved with LSG for two years since the franchise's inception in the IPL. Gambhir played a crucial role in establishing the structure of the squad at the IPL 2022 mega auction and led the franchise to successive playoff finishes.
Gautam Gambhir was involved with KKR as a player from 2011 to 2017
The former India player has a special relationship with the franchise. He was roped in by KKR at the 2011 IPL auction, and it proved to be one of the best bits of business that the franchise has ever conducted.
Gambhir led KKR to IPL titles in the 2012 and 2014 editions, becoming only the third franchise after Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to win multiple titles. While his astute leadership was the highlight of his tenure with KKR, he also led from the front as an opening batter.
Gambhir will now join forces with KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit in a bid to restore KKR back to its former glory. The franchise has only qualified for the playoffs once since 2018, finishing seventh for two seasons in a row now.
