RR vs KKR: "Gautam Gambhir has been pretty solid" - Phil Salt credits KKR mentor for IPL 2024 success

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Phil Salt opened up about the campaign of the team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He credited Gautam Gambhir for the success of the franchise, stating that the former Indian cricketer has been solid and urges players to win.

Kolkata Knight Riders have been in the red hot form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They have dominated the league stage of the tournament and became the first team to qualify for the playoffs of the league, with 9 wins under the belt and just three losses.

One of the main reasons behind their success in the league has been keeper-batter Phil Salt. The England batter has been tremendous with the bat at the top order as he has provided his team with crucial starts with his attacking mindset.

The duo of Phil Salt and Sunil Narine at the top has been magnificent and it has been one of the major reasons behind the success of Kolkata Knight Riders in the league. The return of Gautam Gambhir too has helped the team a lot as being the mentor he has completely changed the dynamics of the team.

Phil Salt talked about the importance of finishing in the top 2 apart from the presence of Gautam Gambhir in the team. He also opened up about his comparisons with Chris Lynn and said that he wants to focus on his abilities. Speaking to broadcasters, he added:

"On finishing in top 2) It is big for us. Chat before the game today was about not letting up, and turn up with the right attitude. GG (Gautam Gambhir) has been pretty solid with how he wants us to play as a team. He stressed on us to come here and still look for two points.

"(On comparisons with Chris Lynn) I’ve got a bit more lean muscle than him. When you come into a new team, you want to come in and do well. Lynn did it for a few years here, but for me it has been more about myself and how I can better my abilities."

Our point of difference is we’ve got Sunny - Phil Salt

Phil Salt further talked about his experience of playing in India. He added that he has been focusing on assessing and adapting. The England batter also opened up about his partnership with Sunil Narine, claiming that the left-hander has been the point of difference between them. He added:

"(On IPL experience) Lots of different surfaces in India. But it doesn’t vary too much really. I’ve been going about it at Eden Gardens but we’ve got some good wickets away as well, it is just about assessing and adapting on the day. (On the KKR team) Our point of difference is we’ve got Sunny (Narine).

"He’s like playing with 13 players with his skill with bat and ball. So that really frees the rest of us to play the way we want to. Sunny is very chill, as am I in the middle. We know what we do well and we remind each other of that. Hopefully we can keep it going." He concluded.