A visibly emotional Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fan made a heartfelt request to the team's mentor Gautam Gambhir during the fans' interaction organized by the franchise in Kolkata on Friday, May 10.
Gambhir returned to Kolkata Knight Riders as a mentor after serving two seasons with Lucknow Super Giants in the same role. Under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir, KKR clinched two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. Since then, the Kolkata Knight Riders have been eluded from touching the coveted trophy.
In a video shared by Kolkata Knight Riders on its X handle (formerly Twitter), a fan was seen urging Gautam Gambhir not to leave the franchise as they missed his presence in the team after the team failed to win an IPL trophy since 2014.
"I'm one of your biggest fans. Just want to say, aap hamein chhodh kar aur mat jaaiye. Aapke janne se jitna takleef hua hai, who hum aapko samaj nahi sakte hai. Hum apko ek Bengali batana chahte hai. Humko yaha pe rakte hai. Aap humein chod kar kabhi mat jayiye." KKR fan said in a video
(Just want to say, please don't leave us. It's difficult to describe to you in words that how we were hurt after you left us. I want to dedicate a Bengali song to you. We will keep you here. Please don't leave us forever.)
Then, boy sang a famous song in Bengali, which says "I will keep you right here. I won't leave you."
Gautam Gambhir played a vital role in the success of Kolkata Knight Riders during his time with the team from 2011 and 2017 before returning to Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) with whom he played his final IPL season in 2018.
In IPL, Gautam Gambhir amassed 4217 runs, including 36 fifties, at an average of 31.24 and a strike rate of 123.88 in 154 matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders remains on top of the points table
With the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir and captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders have had a really good turn around in the IPL 2024 as compared to last few seasons of the tournament.
In the last two seasons, Kolkata Knight Riders failed to qualify for the playoffs as they finished seventh in the league stage of the tournament. KKR reached the final in 2021 under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, but lost to third-time champions Chennnai Super Kings.
In the ongoing IPL season, Kolkata Knight Riders have almost booked their spot for the playoffs as they are at the top of the points with 8 wins in their 11 outings and accumulated 16 points.
Given their recent performances, Shreyas Iyer-led side is considered among the strong contenders to win the IPL trophy this year.
