Former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir might be in talks with the franchise for a possible return, according to some media reports. The unconfirmed news however, whether true or not, has left KKR fans excited.
Social media is abuzz with Gambhir's "homecoming". The former India cricketer was the biggest reason behind KKR's turnaround in the Indian Premier League after their poor show in the initial years in the tournament.
KKR brought Gambhir on board in 2011 for a then-record price of ₹11 crore, making him the costliest Indian player in the IPL 2010 auction and the move immediately paid off as GG led the team to their maiden title triumph in 2012.
Gambhir and KKR replicated the feat two years later in 2014 when they clinched the IPL title for the second time. He spent seven seasons with KKR before going back to Delhi Capitals in to play his final season in 2018.
Gambhir then announced his retirement from all cricket to concentrate on his political career with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi.
He took up the mentor's role at Lucknow Super Giants in 2021 and is still there with the team.
KKR's struggles returned after Gambhir left as they failed to even reach the playoffs in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023 while in 2021 they were the runners-up behind Chennai Super Kings.
LSG in talks with Justin Langer: Report
Gambhir might be joined by former Australia opener Justin Langer as there are also reports of LSG holding discussions with him.
Langer coached the Australian cricket team from 2018 to 2022 and could replace Andy Flower at LSG. Flower's contract as head coach of the LSG ended after IPL 2023.
The LSG coaching unit already consists of Gambhir (mentor), Morne Morkel (bowling coach), Vijay Dahiya (assistant coach) and Jonty Rhodes (fielding coach).
