'Franchises claim we are one family but...' - Abhishek Nayar fires brutal dig at Mumbai Indians

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Abhishek Nayar took a subtle dig at Mumbai Indians as he explained his franchise’s relationship with their players. He stated that franchises claim that they are one family but the amount of love KKR show to their players is the real X-factor.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is one of the successful franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They have won three titles in the league with their third title coming in the recently concluded 2024 edition of the tournament.

Kolkata Knight Riders displayed a sensational performance in the IPL 2024 as they were dominant throughout the entire tournament. They finished the league stage on high and they thumped Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1 and Final to win their third title.

While the performances were for everyone to see, one of the major reasons behind the success was the way the entire team gelled together. The relationship between owners, team management, and players was exceptional and the good environment in the dressing soon was the path to success for them.

Abhishek Nayar talked about the love that is between the KKR team. He claimed that they are more than a family even during the IPL and in their academy. The KKR mentor also talked about how they helped shape the career of Rinku Singh and made the batter score runs with a red ball. Speaking to TRS, he explained:

“Loyalty is a very commonly thrown word, but for me the standout is love. The genuine love that we have for each other, we have for our players, we have for our fans, and more often than not, we have for our owners. There will be very few franchises and everyone will claim whatever one family and we are all together, we also say we are a family, but the love that we have for each other as individuals, barring IPL, is what I feel is our X Factor.

“Whether it is IPL or not, our academy is to make you grow. We are not bothered if you did well in IPL, very good. But when we worked with Rinku Singh, the first success that I had with Rinku Singh was 880 runs in first-class cricket. That was his first thing, I will never forget it. Because his goal was to make runs with a red ball. Because in UP, they will only accept me when I make runs with a red ball. And KKR was part of that journey.”

I think the love factor is slightly more - Abhishek Nayar on KKR

Abhishek Nayar further pointed out that owners of the franchise show their love and care for the franchise and claimed that their love factor, which is slightly more, separates them from others. He added.

“Venky sir encouraged that journey that made him a good cricketer. We want to improve his future, later he will do well in IPL, very good. So I feel for me the one thing Shahrukh Khan, Jai Mehta, Juhi Chawla, Venky sir, all of them, including the children, it's love.

“The warmth, the hug, the kiss on the forehead, the congratulatory message, when they shake your hands, the smile on the face, you know it's real. And that for me is special. I know every franchise has their way of doing it, but if you ask me about KKR, I would just resonate with love. Everything else is common with most franchises, I think the love factor is slightly more,” he concluded.