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In a heartwarming gesture, Bollywood superstar and co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Shahrukh Khan, expressed his joy at welcoming Gautam Gambhir back to the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise after a six-year hiatus. Gambhir, who served as the mentor for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2021 and 2022 sea♌sons, is set to join KKR in the same capacity.
Gautam Gambhir’s historic stint with Kolkata Knight Riders
Notably, Gambhir’s earlier stint with KKR, spanning from 2011 to 2017, marked a historic chapter for the team, securing two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. During this period, KKR consistently reached the playoffs and even made it to the finals of the Champions League T20 in 2014.
Also READ: 🦩I🔯PL 2024: Gautam Gambhir reacts after leaving Lucknow Super Giants and rejoining Kolkata Knight Riders
Shahrukh Khan’s warm welcome to Gambhir
In a statement released by KKR on platform X, Shah Rukh expressed that Gambhir has always been an integral part of the KKR family. He believes that Gambhir, alongside head coach Chandrakant Pandit, will form an excellent think tank and contribute toဣ restoring KKR to its glory day♉s.
“Gautam has always been part of the family and this is our Captain coming back home in a different avatar as a “Mentor”. He was sorely missed and now we all look forward to Chandu Sir and Gautam in instilling the never-say-die spirit and of sportsmanship they stand for, in creating magic with Team KKR.”
Welcome back to the Fam, ! 💜
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders)
A bid to end title drought for KKR
Since Gambhir’s departure in 2016, KKR has experienced a title drought, making just one final appearance in 2021, where they lost to MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The return of Gambhir, KKR’s talismanic former skipper, is seen as a strategic move to revive the team’s winning legacy. Meanwhile, LSG, under the new coaching leadership of Justin Langer, aim to 🌄build on their pla♎yoff appearances in the upcoming seasons.
