Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir delivered a fiery speech to the players who were present for the franchise’s ongoing training camp ahead of the new Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The IPL 2024 season marks the return of Gambhir at KKR, having left the franchise in 2017. After hanging his boots, Gambhir joined Lucknow Super Giants as a mentor for two seasons before returning to KKR ahead of the new season. For the unversed, Gambhir represented KKR from 2011-17 and the franchise won two IPL titles under his leadership.
On his first day at work, Gambhir’s war cry has gone viral, where he emphasised the importance of giving freedom to the players.
“We start this season from today. Whether it’s physically, mentally skill wise, give everything possible. It’s a very, very proud and successful franchise. You guys are representing a very successful franchise. Make sure you train that way, you play that way and you carry that attitude around the field. That is going to be very, very important. And one thing I absolutely believe in is giving all the freedom to the players. That is something which is very, very important,” Gambhir said in a video uploaded by KKR.
The former KKR captain said told the KKR squad that each players will be treated equally, regardless of where they come from.
“So people who played with me will know one thing about me, that everyone in this group will be treated equally. There’s no senior junior. There is no domestic, international. So we have got one mission and that is to win this IPL. So everyone needs to follow that one simple path. On 26th May, we should be there giving everything possible, and it starts from today. It’s not gonna start on the 26th. It’s not gonna start on the 23rd,” he added.
“It starts from today and this is what we want to do. So if we walk the same path and we fight, I’m sure we’re gonna achieve a lot of success. So good luck, guys. Have the freedom. Enjoy yourself. You can ask questions, whether close doors, or in front of everyone. And I can assure you, from a support staff point of view, that we’re gonna be absolutely honest to every one of you,” Gambhir concluded.
KKR open their campaign on March 23rd against SunRisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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