The Kolkata Knight Riders have emerged as one of the finest teams under Gambhir in the IPL. They even won the title in the last edition of the Indian Premier League. Gautam Gambhir was appointed the mentor of the Kolkata side just before the IPL 2024 mini-auction.
Gambhir’s first choice was picking Aussie World Cup veteran Mitchell Starc for a whopping 24.75 crore. However, Gambhir was largely criticized for his choices, as they did not have the best of auctions, with only the likes of players like Phil Salt, Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, and Vaibhav Arora alongside Starc.
Gambhir revived his tactics as a skipper and backed Sunil Narine as the opener alongside Phil Salt. The opening combination, power-hitting middle order, and compact bowling deck all led to KKR securing their 3rd IPL title in 2024.
However, this immensely successful KKR mentor, who was brought from the Lucknow Super Giants team before the IPL 2024, has been released by the KKR now, as Gambhir has been appointed the Head Coach of the Indian National Cricket team after Rahul Dravid stepped down from the position.
Gautam Gambhir is highly anticipated to be one of the most successful head coaches for Team Men in Blue, but aside from all this, Kolkata Knight Riders are to find an appropriate replacement for the mentor.
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Though several times this has been said, reportedly, Gautam Gambhir might be replaced in the KKR camp by the ex-Indian head coach Rahul Dravid; however, some recent inside reports suggest that instead of the Indian veteran, they are looking forward to hiring the ex-KKR all-rounder as their mentor.
It is none other than Protea great Jacques Kallis, who was a part of the Gambhir-led IPL-winning sides of KKR in 2012 and 2014. Kallis can be a fit in the role, as his prowess in both the batting and bowling departments makes him an ideal choice. Kallis would no doubt be named as Cricket’s best all-rounder to have stepped on the field.
Alongside Kallis, there might be several new coaching personnel hired, such as Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, who have also left the KKR camp in order to join Gambhir as team India’s supportive staff. Though nothing has been fixed as of yet, Chandrakant Pandit might have to work alongside the Protea veteran if KKR appoints him as their mentor in their year of title defence.
