Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have seen tremendous improvements since the arrival of former captain Gautam Gambhir. The team from Kolkata has topped the IPL points table for the first time in the history of the competition. The franchise, which is co-owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, wants to relive its heyday, when it won two titles in three years between 2012 and 2014.
KKR developed into a formidable team under Gautam Gambhir‘s leadership, regularly making it to the playoffs. Shah Rukh Khan’s unrestricted access was another factor that contributed to KKR’s success, in addition to Gambhir’s tactical brilliance. Gautam Gambhir claimed that the Bollywood star was the “best owner” he had ever collaborated with in the wealthy league. During his seven years there, the thing that most impressed Gambhir was that SRK never spoke to him about cricket for longer than seventy seconds.
The ‘Pathaan’ actor is unique, according to Gambhir, because he never meddles with other people’s work. The southpaw even remembered the deep impact his initial comments made on him in 2011, the year he was acquired for an incredible Rs 11.04 crore, making him the most expensive Indian player to that point. The ODI World Cup champion from 2011 emphasized that trust, honesty, and accountability are the cornerstones of his relationship with Shah Rukh Khan and KKR. They both admire each other’s work, and the Bollywood legend trusts him to do his job diligently.
He never asked me a single question about cricket-Gautam Gambhir
According to Gautam Gambhir, while talking to Ravichandran Ashwin, he and Shah Rukh have not talked about cricket since he returned. That was the only time he discussed the sport, and he related anecdotal evidence from their inaugural meeting in 2011. Asserting that he would be the first to accept responsibility if something went wrong, the team mentor credited honesty and accountability for inspiring this trust. As they continue their chase for the championship, KKR will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1 game on Tuesday in Ahmedabad.
“I have said many times in the past — SRK has been the best owner I have worked with. The reason is not because I am back at KKR, we had not talked more than 70 seconds about cricket in those 7 years of my captaining. He never asked me a single question about cricket in those 7 years. Can you imagine?” said Gautam Ghambir