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[Saba Sports News] Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has returned to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), becoming their mentor ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
KKR has struggled in the last few IPL seasons and with Gambhir coming back, it is expected that some power will also lie in his hands.
As reported by News18, the biggest decision Gambhir could make is retaining Nitish Rana as the captain of the franchise.
Rana was the stand-in KKR skipper in IPL 2023 as their regular captain Shreyas Iyer did not take part in the tournament last year due to an injury.
Now that Shreyas is fit and available, it was expected that he will lead KKR in the upcoming season. However, reportedly, Rana could continue to be in charge of the side.
Under Rana’s captaincy, KKR finished seventh on the points table in 2023.
Gambhir’s backing for Rana is not new and was seen when the duo shared the same dressing room in Delhi. They also have attained the coaching from Sanjay Bhardwaj and trained together at LB Shastri Cricket Academy in New Delhi, which is another similarity.
As for Shreyas, it could be a déjà vu moment as he faced the same situation in Delhi Capitals, where his exclusion for a brief period played a role in giving the leadership post to Rishabh Pant permanently.