Kolkata’s adopted son and two-time IPL-winning captain Gautam Gambhir finally returns to KKR after six-long years. The southpaw left the franchise in 2017 in order to finish his playing days in Delhi. However, his form dipped and, the cricketer eventually retired from all forms of the game. Following this, Gambhir joined Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2021, something that the KKR fans regretted as they wanted him to come back to Kolkata.
In the last couple of years, fans have been very vocal on social media about Gambhir’s possible return, especially after missing out on the playoffs in IPL 2023. Nitish Rana previously teased a possible reunion but nothing seemed concrete with many reports stating that the cricketer will take a break in 2024 to focus on the upcoming general elections.
However, in a twist of events, Gambhir parted ways with the Lucknow franchise and joined Kolkata Knight Riders as their mentor. He thanked LSG for their continuous support in the last couple of years and also expressed his delight to return to KKR, where he has spent seven years as a player and captain.
Under his leadership, the Knight Riders have done extremely well, winning the championship in 2012 and 2014. He led from the front as in 108 matches, the 42-year-old has scored 3036 runs at a strike rate of 124.32. More so, he built a team that was always in the race to win the championship. Things have changed after he left as KKR have been extremely inconsistent in the recent past.
Thus, the franchise was eager to bring him back into the set-up and after a long discussion, he finally signed the contract. The former India international will be working closely with Chandrakant Pandit, head coach of KKR and the other coaching staff. Meanwhile, he now has the massive task of picking the correct players for the next season as the trading window will be closing soon while the IPL auction is just a couple of weeks away.
Here's how Twitter reacted to Gautam Gambhir's return to KKR:
Welcome back captain @GautamGambhir @KKRiders#kkr #IPL2023 #amikkr pic.twitter.com/kGVCIvKugM
— Saqib (@Saqib88483101) November 22, 2023
Welcome back @GautamGambhir 😁 pic.twitter.com/NmQF9Vj7Z1
— Bratasundar Ghosh (@G_Bratasundar) November 22, 2023
Welcome back Our beloved Gauti 💜🫂🐐
— 🆂🆂➳𝗥𝗮𝗷𝗽𝘂𝘁 (@iam_ssrajput) November 22, 2023
You are in bottom of heart of every fans🥹❤️#AmiKKR #Restart #IPL2024 #GothamKnights pic.twitter.com/aBSFxOIOXt
Is baar trophy chahiye 🏆 gauti bhai ☺️.
— SRKsEnigma⚕️ (@AqShayDevGun) November 22, 2023
Welcome back @GautamGambhir 😉
Ami KKR 💕#ShahRukhKhan #LISA #LuttPuttGaya #SRK𓃵 #DunkiDrop2 #Jawan #Pathaan pic.twitter.com/ikCvvTStvF
My two favourites are together now
— Aj (@ajlookout) November 22, 2023
Welcome back Captain 💜
Purely We Rule vibe 💥#KKR pic.twitter.com/3vrUnSMGUB
@GautamGambhir welcome back sir ❤❤ https://t.co/NYzKc8iRQy pic.twitter.com/swXkyP4pAZ
— Carryminati (@AltafGamer64529) November 22, 2023
Elated to see you back with the same spirit.
— 𝗔𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗔 (@StarkAditya_) November 22, 2023
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 is nothing short of a dream. His leadership led to glory, and I can't wait to learn and grow under his… https://t.co/xwow3Fthin
— Nitish Rana (@NitishRana_27) November 22, 2023
The greatest captain of KKR is back to kkr 💜🥹 pic.twitter.com/zfgpnD4cBR
— Ashish Shrivastava (@ashishayush1177) November 22, 2023
KKR looks formidable now..
— Extraa Cover (@ExtraaaCover) November 22, 2023
Shreyas, Rinku, Rana etc and
Gambhir as the Mentor 🤞🤞 pic.twitter.com/fTcSVk1ATY
Han thoda dard hua par chalta hai 😓
— R (@itzzrashmi) November 22, 2023
Phir kya..
Agle din apne team me Gambhir aaya 🥳
oooo, oooo 🥳
Welcome back to KKR, GG. 🙌
— H🤶 (@hrathod__) November 22, 2023
The time has come for the Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir era. 🔥#GautamGambhir | #ShreyasIyer | #KKR pic.twitter.com/NLN6jUHtNr
Dhoni with CSK.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 22, 2023
Rohit with MI.
Kohli with RCB.
Gambhir back in KKR.
- Good old days is back in IPL 2024. pic.twitter.com/0A2gFQ3PAM
RCB fans after realising Gambhir , Rinku , Lord Thakur and Russell all will be a part of KKR setup pic.twitter.com/E3ROh6VzQu
— Pricviz (@Pric_viz_) November 22, 2023
OMG!! Gautam Gambhir is back to KKR as a mentor, it's time to cook again 🥹💜 pic.twitter.com/RN46mTAMA9
— sohom (@AwaaraHoon) November 22, 2023
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