Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Nitish Rana recently revealed a private WhatsApp chat with former KKR captain and current mentor Gautam Gambhir, shedding light on the behind-the-scenes camaraderie that contributed to the team’s success in the IPL 2024 season.
Rana took to Instagram to pay tribute to Gambhir after KKR clinched their third IPL title, breaking a ten-year drought. Gambhir, who returned to the KKR dugout as a mentor after a stint with the Lucknow Super Giants, played a pivotal role in guiding the team to victory.
“In this era of Mamba Mentality, we’re soon all going to embrace the GG Mentality too,” Rana captioned a post on Instagram, hinting at the influence Gambhir had on the team.
The Instagram post also included a screenshot of a conversation between Rana and Gambhir from November 2023, where Gambhir expressed his vision of “creating something special” in the upcoming season.
Rana’s acknowledgment of Gambhir’s impact on KKR’s success was echoed by other team members, including Sunil Narine, who credited Gambhir for convincing him to open the batting again.
Even KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan expressed his gratitude towards Gambhir during the post-IPL 2024 Final celebrations, jokingly requesting Gambhir to dance in the victory celebrations.
With KKR’s resurgence under Gambhir’s mentorship, speculations have arisen about his potential candidacy for the role of India’s next men’s head coach, following Rahul Dravid’s tenure. However, the BCCI is yet to disclose the final shortlist of candidates for the position.
KKR’s dominant performance in IPL 2024, culminating in a resounding victory in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad, has solidified Gambhir’s reputation as a mentor and leader in the cricketing world.