2024 will see Kolkata Knight Riders attempt to win the Indian Premier League for the third time under Gambhir.
Gambhir captained KKR in 2012 and 2014, he was highly commended for his strategical influence and leadership.
According to Tom Moody, a former Head Coach at Sunrisers Hyderabad: “Crucially, His ability to get the team moving in the right direction is crucial. He knows exactly what he believes are required for him to get it right in the dressing room and what kind of personnel will be good enough for him. If Gambhir was still there this year, Narine Man would have been back at the top of the order with Narine unable to open up batsmen due to confusion and inconsistency that plagued their season when they were playing in Lucknow.”
“KKR has had many things go well for them this year on a positive note. I think his impact as a leader should not be underestimated,” added Moody. “The most important thing is The stability and clarity that he has brought, which are very important.”
Gambhir’s ex-teammate Robin Uthappa also spoke highly of his captaincy on JioCinema.
“He as a leader, does one thing – defines roles.” He creates an atmosphere within which security is present. Team members receive their respective assignments clearly from him. He gives each player specific roles. He make sure everybody has input and You Build A Support Team For Yourself. Mumbai indians CSK does that and KKR when they do it right, it actually works for them,” Uthappa commented.
In recent years however, Uthappa highlighted how Gambhir’s absence has resulted in losing direction again while his comeback focuses on strategies for success during his captaincy days.
“You can see now after all those hard work he had put throughout; now that he is doing it as mentor,” Uthappasaid.
KKR’s win in the IPL 2024 has seen it reveal how important strong leadership and strategic clarity are for success, showing that his role definition, enabling environment creation and clear direction have been instrumental in KKR’s resurgence which is widely acknowledged by cricket fraternity.
