"KKR was seen as Sourav Ganguly's team" - Former India cricketer's massive statement on Gautam Gambhir from IPL 2011

Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja made a massive statement on Gautam Gambhir becoming the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2011.

Ex-India captain and legend Sourav Ganguly led KKR from the inaugural season in 2008 till 2010. However, the performance of the team was not great as they failed to even qualify past the league stages.

Therefore, a huge decision was taken to let go of Ganguly and rope in Gautam Gambhir ahead of IPL 2011. Ajay Jadeja, speaking on JioHotstar, stated that KKR was seen as homeboy Sourav Ganguly's team before the major overhaul that resulted in Gambhir taking over the reigns.

“The relationship between KKR and Sourav Ganguly, whether with the fans or within the team, wasn’t yielding great results. So, in 2011, a major overhaul was planned. I think the biggest shift that year was that, before 2011, KKR was seen as Sourav Ganguly's team. But from that point, it became Shah Rukh Khan's team—with Gautam Gambhir leading them," he said.

Former KKR wicket-keeper batter Mavinder Bisla, in the same conversation, recalled Gambhir's first statement after coming to Kolkata. Bisla remembered how Gambhir made a bold statement, saying he was not there to replace Ganguly but to make his own name and help the team win a trophy.

“I remember Gautam Gambhir’s first statement after coming to Kolkata. He said, ‘I’m your second son. And this is my second home. I’m not here to replace Dada (Sourav Ganguly). I’m here to make a name for myself. Kolkata, which hasn't won a trophy in the last three years, I want to assure you that in the coming years, this team will show you how to win a trophy,’” Bisla said.

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Gautam Gambhir's record at KKR

After joining KKR in 2011, Gautam Gambhir indeed took KKR to new heights. As Bisla mentioned, Gambhir led the Knights to their first ever IPL title in 2012, thus vindicating the decision to move on from Ganguly.

Gambhir added one more trophy to KKR's cabinet as they won the league yet again in 2014, making it two titles in just three years. He also led from the front with the bat.

Till date, Gautam Gambhir is the all-time leading run-scorer for KKR. He amassed 3345 runs for the franchise in 122 games between 2011 and 2017 at an average of 31.26 with 30 half-centuries.

Gambhir returned to KKR as mentor in 2024 and guided the team to a third IPL title.