Let’s admit it – Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) did not have any identity in the first three seasons.
Barring Brendon McCullum’s heroic knock in 2008 and Shah Rukh Khan’s stardom, the Men in God and Purple were in absolute shambles. Leave alone winning titles, KKR struggled to even get themselves off from the bottom of the points table in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sourav Ganguly, who was supposed to be a torchbearer for the Knight Riders, could not turn the team’s fortunes around. John Buchanan failed to blend in as the head coach. It was evident that the Knights needed a complete overhaul, badly. After three seasons where they could not qualify for the playoffs, something needed to be done.
Gambhir turns the wheels
In 2011, KKR shelled out 2.4 million dollars for Gautam Gambhir. KKR did not die wondering about the player who was the first to go under the hammer in the auction. It turned out to be a masterstroke and the Knight Riders did not look back from there on. In that season, Gambhir guided the team to their maiden IPL playoffs, and it marked the beginning of a new journey.
2012 witnessed the first instance when the Knight Riders won the IPL for the first time, achieving the impossible. It was deemed impossible because they defeated MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Chepauk, a task easier than climbing a mountain at that time.
Two seasons later, KKR beat the Kings XI Punjab, now Punjab Kings, in a high-scoring final at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Kolkata’s Wriddhiman Saha scored a hundred, but KKR’s Manish Pandey stole the show as the Knights won their second title.
From 2011 to 2014, the Kolkata Knight Riders made a name for themselves as a brute force, especially under Gambhir’s leadership. KKR had become a team that was considered among the favourites to win the title before the start of any edition.
Just when it seemed that Gambhir would end his IPL career at KKR, he decided to part ways with the team, moving to Delhi Daredevils in 2018. In the same season, he announced his retirement from professional cricket.
In the next six seasons, the Knights have had Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana as their skipper. Although Morgan helped them finish as the runners-up in the 2021 edition, his own performances weren’t up to the mark.
Gambhir comes back home
Very few people would have seen it coming. Gambhir, on Wednesday, November 22, joined back the Knight Riders ahead of the 2024 edition. Not as a player, but as a mentor. The tiger is back in his den. Gambhir was missed in the last six seasons as he remains the only skipper to have led KKR to IPL titles.
Gambhir did play for the Delhi franchise in the first three seasons, but the highlight of his illustrious IPL career started with his stint for the Knight Riders. This showed in his statement after he joined back the Knights after six long seasons.
“I am not an emotional person and not many things move me. But this is different. This is back to where it all started. Today, there is a lump in my throat and fire in my heart as I think about slipping into that purple and gold jersey once again,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir has been successful as a mentor in the IPL after the Lucknow Super Giants advanced to the playoffs both times, in 2022 and 2023. Now it remains to be seen if he can weave magic the same way as he did as a player for the Knights.
Time for Gautam Gambhir