Gautam Gambhir, now a mentor for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), has offered straight talk to his team. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is not a stage for showbiz, according to the former KKR skipper, but a platform to showcase skill in the world’s “toughest” league
In his comeback to KKR, Gambhir's focus is clear. As he left behind Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and returned to Shah Rukh Khan’s IPL team, he wants his team to concentrate on cricket only.
"I made it very clear on Day 1 that IPL, for me, is serious cricket. It's not about Bollywood, it's not about you, it's not about after party and stuff. It's about going out there and playing competitive cricket and that's the reason why I feel is the toughest league in the world because it is proper cricket," Gambhir said on Star Sports.
"It is probably closest to international cricket as compared to any other league and if you want to be known as a successful franchise, you should be able to deliver on the cricket field," he added.
Gautam Gambhir seems to put his money where his mouth is. After all, the BJP MP from East Delhi has chosen to leave politics to focus on cricket. While declaring his plans to quit politics, Gambhir earlier thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the opportunity to help people during his time in politics.
Meanwhile, Gambhir also spoke about the KKR fans, known for their passion for cricket. KKR, with two titles under their belt, last clinched victory in 2014. Since then, their journey has seen ups and downs. In recent seasons, their performances were far from being impressive.
"I think there are very passionate fans. We need to be honest to them. We need to try and probably bring that happiness on their smiles because I've always believed I think the most loyal fans have been fans from Kolkata because they've gone through a lot in the first three years of the IPL," Gambhir said.
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