"Nothing short of a dream" - Nitish Rana on Gautam Gambhir's appointment as KKR mentor

Senior Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Nitish Rana has stated that his idol Gautam Gambhir's return to the franchise as a mentor was "nothing short of a dream" for him. Gambhir led KKR to both of their IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. Rana, meanwhile, was the team's stand-in captain in IPL 2023 and impressed many despite KKR finishing seventh.

Rana and Gambhir hail from Delhi and played a lot of cricket for the state. Both took coaching from Sanjay Bharadwaj and have some similarities in techniques too. Rana finds the former India opener as his "go-to-person", who never shies away from giving him the right advice on his career, no matter how harsh it is.

"As a kid watching cricket, I never imagined I'd one day share the field and wear the same colors as my idol, @GautamGambhir bhai. Now, having him as our mentor at @KKRiders isnothing short of a dream. His leadership led to glory, and I can't wait to learn and grow under his guidance. Here's to the beginning of an incredible journey! ❤️🙌," Rana wrote on X.

Interestingly, in September this year, when Gambhir posted a photo with KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, Rana was among the first to see it as a sign of a potential "homecoming".

"Our Captain coming back home in a different avatar" - Shah Rukh Khan on Gambhir's return

In an official statement after the announcement, KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan said Gautam Gambhir was always part of the Knight Riders family and is now just returning home in a different avatar.

"Gautam has always been part of the family and this is our Captain coming back home in a different avatar as a "Mentor". He was sorely missed and now we all look forward to Chandu Sir (Chandrakant Pandit) and Gautam in instilling the never-say-die spirit and sportsmanship they stand for, in creating magic with Team KKR," Shah Rukh Khan said.

With Shreyas Iyer set to return as captain, KKR will have a completely Indian leadership group for the upcoming season.