KKR are eliminated from the IPL 2025 playoffs after the recent washout against RCB.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have won all three of their Indian Premier League (IPL) titles under the captaincy or mentorship of Gautam Gambhir. Former batter Manvinder Bisla has revealed what makes their ex-mentor so special. He mentioned how the minor changes made by Gambhir resulted in big turnarounds. Fittingly, KKR ended their decade-long trophy drought just after his comeback in the KKR camp last year.
“After many years, Gautam returned to the franchise. And it’s not like he came in and made big changes right away. If you look at the playing XI, only Mitchell Starc and Ramandeep were added, and then this team went on to become champions. For several years, it didn’t feel like this team had that kind of momentum,” he said in an interview with the Times of India.
The IPL 2012 champion elaborated on how Gambhir swiftly turned an average squad into a champion side. Besides KKR, the former Delhi player showed his tactical brilliance during his two-year stint with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
“Even among experts, when predictions were made about the top four or potential winners, KKR’s name was rarely mentioned. Suddenly, Gautam comes in, and under his guidance, the team becomes champions. So, he brings a huge impact. And not just with KKR, even in the two years before this, he was with another team [referring to LSG]. They also made it to the playoffs. And now that he’s left, that team is struggling,” explained Bisla.
However, Gambhir left the mentoring duties after being elected as the head coach of India. The Men in Blue’s recent Champions Trophy 2025 triumph came under his invaluable guidance.
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The 40-year-old also reflected on the team’s poor season after winning the title in IPL 2024. He believes that the defending champions failed to pick up the winning momentum. The players lacked attacking intent as they won alternate matches in the initial seven matches this season.
“This time, the team never really had that winning moment. If you look at it initially, they won one match and lost one. So there was never a phase where they won two-three matches back-to-back to build that winning spirit, the kind that gives you the belief that you can win from anywhere. That’s because the team never had a consistent winning run. The intent was just completely missing,” he added.
However, the Men in Purple are placed sixth in the IPL 2025 points table with 12 points in 13 matches. They will look to end their season on a high against the eighth-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR will play their last league-stage match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on May 25.
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