"KKR shouldn't be known for off-field activities" - Gautam Gambhir's colossal statement

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir has stated that the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) for him is only about on-field cricket and not glamour associated with it.

Gambhir won the IPL trophy twice as the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He has returned to the franchise ahead of IPL 2024 season and the Knight Riders will be eyeing their third title in the presence of Gautam Gambhir.

Before the KKR comeback, Gautam Gambhir served as the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2022 and 2023. Under his guidance, the franchise did a brilliant job and reached playoffs in both seasons.

Meanwhile, in a video shared by the broadcaster Star Sports, Gambhir said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the toughest league in the world because of the competition in the tournament.

“I made it very clear on Day 1 that IPL for me, is a serious cricket. It’s not about Bollywood, it’s not about you, it’s not about after party and stuff. It’s about going out there and playing competitive cricket and that’s the reason why I feel is the toughest league in the world because it is proper cricket,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.

It is probably closest to international cricket – Gautam Gambhir on the Indian Premier League (IPL)

Gambhir further said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the closest league to international cricket and a team needs to deliver the best performances on the field to become successful.

“It is probably closest to international cricket as compared to any other league and if you want to be known as a successful franchise, you should be able to deliver on the cricket field,” he added.

Talking about the IPL career of Gautam Gambhir, he played overall 154 matches and scored 4217 runs at a decent average of 31.24 and a strike rate of 123.88. Also, he slammed 36 fifties while representing Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the high-profile league.

Gautam Gambhir also talked about the fanbase of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise and said that they are very passionate.

“I think there are very passionate fans. We need to be honest to them. We need to try and probably bring that happiness on their smiles because I’ve always believed I think the most loyal fans have been fans from Kolkata because they’ve gone through a lot in the first three years of the IPL,” Gambhir said.

Gambhir also gave a strict message to Team KKR, saying that they shouldn’t be known for off-field activities and their on-field performance is the only thing that needs to be talked about.

“Obviously it was the most high-profile team as well. But I’ve always been a believer that ultimately it’s not about glamour. It’s about what we do on the cricket fields is all that matters and KKR should not be known for off-field activities. They should be known for what we deliver on the cricket field,” concluded the KKR mentor.

Trust @GautamGambhir to deliver on-point answers! ✔💪🏻

He believes the brand of cricket played in the #IPL is on a level comparable with international cricket!

Will his experience help #KKR win the upcoming #IPLOnStar season?

Be sure to watch IPL on Star Sports from MARCH 22 pic.twitter.com/gdYf7hXHvv

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 3, 2024

The IPL 2024 is set to begin on March 22 and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the first 21 matches while the rest of the fixtures will be revealed on a later date due to the elections in India.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will open their IPL 2024 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on 23 March.