Kolkata Knight Riders did not have the best of the starts to their run in the Indian Premier League, but it was not until the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the captain of the team that their fortunes turned over, and they won their only 2 IPL titles till date. And, it all can be attributed to some captaincy masterstrokes by Gautam Gambhir. Here’s a look at 5 such decisions, that brought glory to the team.
1. Making Sunil Narine the opener in IPL
Sunil Narine coming into the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League, saw one of the biggest changes come to his playing position in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad. Under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir, one of the top performers in the history of the tournament, Sunil Narine was made the opener of the side.
The tactic had been used in the Big Bash League previously with some success but, when Narine came down to IPL and opened the batting here, it worked wonders not only for his own numbers and the team’s success. The mind that the team’s captain put into trying this Strat out in completely different conditions, made this one of the captaincy masterstrokes by Gautam Gambhir.
2. Replacing Brendon McCullum with Manvinder Bisla in IPL 2012 Finals
The first win for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Finals came in the year 2012 and the decisions that Gautam Gambhir took during the final match of the tournament, made the difference. The team had a major setback ahead of the Final match, but Gambhir, in place of the injured Lakshipathy Balaji brought in Brett Lee.
But, it was not this that helped KKR bring the cup home. Solving the overseas players’ quota problems, Gambhir brought in Manvinder Bisla in place of the outgoing Brendon McCullum. And, the wonders this one of the many captaincy masterstrokes by Gautam Gambhir is recorded well in history. Manvinder Bisla’s inning of 89 runs off 48 deliveries made sure that KKR crossed the line successfully towards becoming the champions of IPL 2012.
3. Bringing Jacques Kallis and Shakib al Hasan into the team
This was the same year when Gautam Gambhir was brought into the side as the captain of the team and came along with him were two gem of cricketers, Shakib al Hasan and Jacques Kallis. The buying part may not have had the say of Gambhir, but the way these two cricket players were integrated into the side surely did amaze many.
The duo was used beautifully by captain Gambhir and this gave a solid boost to the performance of KKR. The team that had been finishing at the 6th and the 8th positions in the previous editions of the Indian Premier League, made it into the playoffs for the first time, finishing the tournament at number 4. And, come next year this move proved to be a part of the captaincy masterstrokes by Gautam Gambhir as the team won the tournament in 2012.
4. Giving the team a complete overhaul before IPL 2014 but retaining the core
After a great run in IPL 2012, the Kolkata Knight Riders came down really hard in the rankings the following year as they finished at the number 7 spot in the points table, out of the 9 teams that played the tournament. So, it was again the time for captain Gambhir to step in and show what a great leader he was of the franchise. Ahead of the 2014 season of the tournament, he gave the team a complete overhaul.
The franchise retained only him and Sunil Narine and decided to go in fresh into the auctions. There, they brought back, what would be the core players of the franchise, namely Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib al Hasan and Manvinder Bisla. Along with these, new additions were made to the side too, as the team saw the arrival of some of the most fabled names in the franchise, which included the likes of Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Chris Lynn and More Morkel. Gambhir made sure that this team stuck together and made it into the finals, which they eventually won.
5. Unleashing Andre Russell’s muscle power to the full strength
Kolkata Knight Riders and Andre Russell have been names that have become one of the most co-related names in the tournament, with each other complimenting each other so beautifully that it is hard to imagine either of them without each other. But, it was all a masterstroke by Gautam Gambhir that made Andre Russell the beast he is.
With the right combination of players playing around him, Andre Russell who has been brought in by the team showed his true potential and built a name for himself, which has been talked about a lot through the years. The beast of a player that Russell is, something that can be regarded as the brainchild of Gautam Gambhir, and surely a contribution that the team must cherish to date.
