Gautam Gambhir's Love Affair With Kolkata Knight Riders and Beyond

When you speak about Gautam Gambhir, the first thing which comes to mind is perseverance and never say die attitude. Had it not been for the southpaw, India might not have won the two World Cup titles in the last decade or so.

The southpaw played two of the greatest innings on two most eventful nights for Indian cricket which includes in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 followed by the World Cup triumph in 2011.

He has been an inspirational figure in the Kolkata Knight Riders dressing room ever since he took over the reigns from the local boy of Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly. Under Ganguly’s tenure from 2008-2010, the franchise went nowhere and failed to qualify for the knockouts on either of the three occasions.

Gambhir’s huge contract in the IPL Auctions 2011

Gambhir became the most expensive player in the 2011 auction when the Kolkata Knight Riders outfit bought him for a whopping Rs 11.2 crores and made him the captain of the side. The results came quite immediately, and KKR improved from their performances in the last three years and for the first time qualified for the playoffs in the tournament.

They finished the group stage on the 3^rd position and met the Mumbai Indians in the eliminator clash. They were beaten soundly by the Men in Blue, but Gambhir was happy with how the team fared for the first time.

Under Gauti, KKR went on to lift their maiden IPL title in the year 2012, and it was simply a magnificent performance by the Purple and the Gold brigade. Gambhir performed brilliantly at the top of the order and was a constant guiding force to the youngsters all through the tournament. It was his attitude and the confidence he gave to all the other members of the team which allowed the youngsters to express themselves which eventually led to their championship victory.

Gambhir leading from the front and taking some wonderful decisions

Not only did Gambhir led from the front, he also picked the teams carefully and kept on backing certain players like Yusuf Pathan which paid off rich dividends in the end. Some of the decisions taken during the tournament were tough, but given the situation of the game and how the franchise needed a turnaround, it was perhaps the order of the day.

KKR qualified for the playoffs even in 2013 but yet again failed in the eliminator hurdle and yet again against the same opponents, Mumbai Indians against whom they don’t have a great record what so ever. Gambhir led the Kolkata outfit to their 2^nd title victory very next year, and for yet another time they looked the most organized unit and made other teams take notice of their prowess.

He has been a thorn in the flesh for other oppositions all through the tournament, and even in the previous year, he was at his exceptional best all through the tournament. He used some stern words against his boys in a group match against Royal Challengers Bangalore when they were bowled out for a paltry 134.

The words gave the bowlers enough courage to prove their mettle, and they skittled RCB out for a mere 49 runs. It was a sensational display of fast bowling by the KKR pacers. Credit goes to the bowlers, but the way Gambhir handled his troops was simply exceptional. KKR will miss him dearly without a doubt, and his contributions to the franchise will be etched in golden letters.

Returning to his hometown

Gambhir would be returning to the Delhi Daredevils squad for the 11^th season of the tournament. The southpaw started off his IPL career for the Daredevils before moving to KKR in 2011. He was happy about the fact that he has returned to play for his home franchise.

However, KKR is still dear to his hearts, as he said that he would definitely cherish the time spend with them.