"He taught me everything" - When a former KKR bowler hailed Gautam Gambhir leadership skills

Team India's left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav represented KKR in 50 matches from 2014 to 2020, claiming 46 wickets at an average of 30.13 and an economy rate of 8.18, with a best of 4-20. The Uttar Pradesh cricketer joined the Kolkata Knight Riders as a rookie and has gone on to establish himself as one of India's potent spin bowling weapons across formats.

In 2021, Kuldeep credited former Kolkata skipper and current Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir for playing a significant role in his development as a bowler. Gambhir was Kolkata's captain from 2011 to 2017 and led the franchise to title triumphs in 2012 and 2014. He returned as mentor to guide the Knight Riders to their third IPL win earlier this year.

In a video on KKR's Facebook page, Kuldeep had explained how he was picked by the franchise after an excellent performance in the 2014 U-19 World Cup and also how Gambhir guided him and helped him grow.

"I was a senior player during the 2014 U19 World Cup and performances happened exactly according to expectations. From there, I was selected for KKR and life changed drastically. I got plenty of time in KKR. There were a lot of senior players, especially Gautam Gambhir," Kuldeep had said.

"I always keep thanking him. He guided me as a leader and taught me everything. Even before I was about to play in the Champions League, he advised me what to bowl, how to hone my skills and become a confident player," the 30-year-old had added.

Kuldeep's best of 4-20 in KKR colors came against Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens in May 2018. He dismissed Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Buttler, Stuart Binny and Ben Stokes to be named the Player of the Match as the Knight Riders beat Rajasthan by six wickets.

---

KKR's squad for IPL 2025

While Kolkata Knight Riders won IPL 2024 under Gambhir's guidance, he won't be available for the 2025 season, as he has taken over as Team India's head coach. Kolkata also released Shreyas Iyer, who had captained the franchise to victory in the 2024 edition.

The defending champions retained Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. At the mega auction, they purchased all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping ₹23.75 crore.

Kolkata also went for Quinton de Kock (₹3.60 crore), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (₹2 crore), Anrich Nortje (₹6.50 crore), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (₹3 crore), Spencer Johnson (₹2.80 crore) and Ajinkya Rahane (₹1.50 crore), among others.