During the IPL 2011 auction on January 9, 2011, Kolkata Knight Riders made a decision that was about to change their fate in the next few years in the cash-rich league. Having played for Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) in the previous three editions, Gautam Gambhir was set to play for a new franchise in IPL 2011, was picked by KKR as the most expensive player in the IPL history at that time. KKR bought Gambhir for a whopping INR 14.9 crore in the IPL 2011 auction.
The decision to include Gautam Gambhir in their squad turned out to be a change of fate for KKR who were yet to win an IPL trophy. He was appointed as a captain of the franchise and led KKR to the playoffs for the first time in 2011. KKR finished in top four that season but ended up losing against Mumbai Indians in the eliminator. However, the Kolkata-based also had a taste of glory in the very next season.
Gautam Gambhir led KKR to two IPL titles
After finishing in top four for the first time in 2011, Kolkata Knight Riders had even a greater campaign in IPL 2012. Defeating the then-previous two time champions Chennai Super Kings in the final, KKR went on to win their maiden IPL title in 2012 under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy. However, this wasn’t the last as Gambhir led the franchise to title again in IPL 2014 as KKR were the only team after CSK to have won two titles at that time. Apart from that, KKR were qualified for the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 under Gambhir’s leadership.
In 2018, Kolkata Knight Riders parted ways with Gautam Gambhir as he was picked by Delhi Daredevils in his last IPL season as a player. Gambhir had a memorable time with KKR for seven years including two title wins. However, Gambhir and KKR joined hands again as the former cricketer was appointed as a mentor of the franchise again for IPL 2024. Under Gambhir’s mentorship and Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, KKR got their glory days back and went on to win their third IPL title after 12 years.
