Gautam Gambhir showed tantrums to Shah Rukh Khan? Former Indian legend's sensational revelation

In a desperate attempt to win their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have roped in their former captain Gautam Gambhir as their mentor for IPL 2024. KKR won both of their IPL trophies to date under the captaincy of the former India opener.

The two-time IPL champions have not managed to win the IPL since Gautam Gambhir led them to their second title in 2014. The World Cup-winner parted ways with KKR as a player after IPL 2017 and the Kolkata-based outfit has struggled to do well since then.

Since Gautam Gambhir’s departure, KKR qualified for the playoffs just twice in six seasons. In the last edition of the IPL, they finished at the seventh spot in the points table before deciding to appoint their most decorated captain as a mentor.

13 years after roping him as a player and then appointing him as their captain, KKR are hopeful that Gautam Gambhir’s return to the KKR camp would transform their fortunes. In the last two seasons, he was plying his trade as a mentor for Lucknow Super Giants and helped them qualify for the playoffs in both seasons.

Shah Rukh Khan’s message for Gautam Gambhir:

Ahead of the start of IPL 2024, Gautam Gambhir revealed the message he received from KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan. Expressing his gratitude towards the Bollywood superstar as well as franchise CEO Venky Mysore, Gautam Gambhir said:

“Firstly, I want to say one thing — I’m a very tough guy to handle. I have to thank SRK (team principal owner Shah Rukh Khan) and Venky bhai (CEO Venky Mysore) who is here as well… They have taken a lot of my tantrums, and stubbornness for such a long period of time.”

“Kyun ke sach yeh hai ki hum sachchai se ladna jaante hai, hum haar na jaante hai, aur hum jitna bhi jaante hain (Because the truth is that we know how to fight with honesty, we know how to lose, and we know how to win),” he added while speaking at the Knights Unplugged event.

Speaking further, he revealed the message from Shah Rukh Khan, saying: “He only told me the same thing that he had told me when I joined KKR as a player in 2011: ‘This is your franchise, make it or break it.’ He told me exactly the same thing. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I can assure you that whenever I leave this place, we will be in a much better position.”

IPL 2024 is scheduled to begin on March 22 while KKR will begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 23.