Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) extended their impressive run in IPL 2024 and became the first team to qualify for the playoffs this season with a clinical display against Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens on Saturday. KKR finished seventh on the points table last season, but they have looked a completely different unit this campaign, playing dominant cricket throughout the league stage so far. They currently sit atop the standings with nine wins from 12 matches. The return of Gautam Gambhir to the KKR dressing room as a mentor has worked wonders for them in the ongoing season. Gambhir’s ploy to back Sunil Narine as an opener alongside World No. 2 T20I batter Phil Salt has been a masterstroke, with Narine emerging as a contender for both the Orange and Purple Caps. Meanwhile, the two-time champions have also done extremely well with the ball and defended targets with the spin twins Varun Chakaravarthy (18 wickets) and Narine (15 wickets) leading the charge for them in the middle overs. While young Harshit Rana (16) is doing the job well with the new ball, all-rounder Andre Russell has also displayed his skills with the ball and picked up 15 wickets. Former cricketer-turned-commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu credited mentor Gambhir for KKR’s rise in the ongoing season of IPL. “I have seen Gautam Gambhir gets inspired when the situation gets tough,” Sidhu said on Star Sports. “He starts advising and that’s how it should be. Anybody can be a pilot when the sea is calm but you only learn when in adverse situations.” Sidhu, who returned to the commentary box this season, hailed KKR for their collective efforts with the ball, as five of their bowlers have claimed more than 10 wickets each, rather than relying on individual brilliance to get over the line. “KKR is the only team with five bowlers who have taken 10 wickets each and the sixth has taken 9 wickets. Show me a team that has six bowlers who have 60 wickets between them,” Sidhu said. He further praised Gambhir for bringing back Sunil Narine to the opening slot – a move which worked brilliantly well for them as Narine is running in the race for both Orange and Purple Caps with season with 461 runs and 15 scalps. “The most valuable player in the tournament is Sunil Narine. Who got (Mitchell) Starc? Everybody was talking about ₹ 23 crore ( ₹ 24.75 crore being splurged on a single player). The cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. It is the value addition, boss! Don’t measure him in crores. See what value addition he is bringing,” Sidhu said. “Look at KKR’s six bowlers, top batters – everybody is in form. There’s one parallel power centre. Everybody will feel they deserve to do that. They have balance, they have a great mentor, they have a superb captain. They have everybody in form. What else do you need? You can’t have everything, where will you keep it?” he added.
Kolkata Knight Riders Qualify for IPL 2024 Playoffs, Credit Gautam Gambhir’s Mentorship
