India National Cricket Team veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has identified the current mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Gautam Gambhir, as the arch-nemesis of the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
CSK are the joint-most successful team in the history of the competition as they have won 5 IPL trophies while the KKR have managed to win 2 championships both under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir. The two teams have locked horns with each other on 31 occasions with the Yellow Army winning 19 games and the Knight Riders winning 11, with one match ending without a result.
In 2012, Gautam Gambhir & Co. defeated the MS Dhoni-led side in the final to clinch their first-ever IPL title and then repeated the feat in 2014 by defeating the Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) in the summit clash.
Since then the KKR are looking for their third title in the cash-rich league and with the return of Gambhir to the setup they would be looking to end the trophy drought. Ahead of the IPL 2024, the Kolkata-based franchise roped in their former captain Gambhir as the mentor. Before moving to KKR, the former India opener served as the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2022 and 2023.
Meanwhile, the veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in his recent YouTube video spoke about Gautam Gambhir’s competitive attitude and showered rich praise on him. He further said that Mumbai Indians have been the nemesis of Chennai Super Kings over the years and their rivalry has got all the limelight, but “another thorn in the flesh” for the MS Dhoni & Co. has been Gautam Gambhir who has always challenged them.
“For CSK, Mumbai Indians have been a nemesis over the years. They’ve had 5-5 equal titles. The Mumbai Indians actually won their first title only in 2013. In the last 10 years, they have won five titles, one every alternate year. Another thorn in the flesh for CSK was Gautam Gambhir’s KKR,” he stated.
“He has posed a good threat to them, especially in 2012, when Chennai was going to hit a hat trick. I was playing them for CSK; they had us at the finals in Chennai. Since then, Gautam Gambhir has also been quite the nemesis for CSK,” Ashwin added.
If you are a fan of a particular team, you might get offended by it – Ravichandran Ashwin’s colossal remark on Gautam Gambhir’s attitude
While talking about the attitude of Gautam Gambhir, Ravichandran Ashwin said that the fans of some IPL franchises might get offended but he absolutely loves it. He said:
“He (Gambhir) is one person who has ‘bring it on’ energy and doesn’t hold back. I like that attitude in him. If you are a fan of a particular team, you might get offended by it. But to look at it from the outside, the no-chill attitude is something I love.”
Ashwin also believes that the year 2024 would be a good chance for KKR to win the IPL Cup with the return of Gambhir, who seems to be in a happy space with the franchise.
“Gautam Gambhir has left LSG and joined KKR. He has been an integral part of the leadership. He was the first to change the fortunes of the franchise and won two titles as the captain. They are searching for their third title, and this seems like the perfect timing. They’ve brought him from LSG because they seem to have a great connection with him. In fact, Gautam also seems to be a happy place to be in KKR,” he added.
Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their opening clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 23.
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