Gautam Gambhir may have to decide whether to stay with the Kolkata Knight Riders or become the head coach of Team India.
When it comes to comebacks, Gautam Gambhir's return to the Kolkata Knight Riders will always rank high on the list. Eight seasons, three trophies. Except for Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni, no one can take credit for such an achievement. The first two were as a player and captain, and the third, after ten years, as its mentor. Gambhir returned to the franchise that made him a bona fide IPL legend on Sunday, completing the trifecta for which KKR had been waiting ten years. No surprise Shah Rukh Khan was ecstatic. He last executed a cartwheel on a cricket pitch in 2014, and who knows, if he had been 100%, the Chennai crowd could have been treated to another from Bollywood's Pathaan.
Gambhir and SRK are undoubtedly the most popular IPL duo. However, for many seasons, they forged their course in various directions. After 2017, Gambhir left KKR to represent the Delhi Capitals. As it turned out, it was his final season in the IPL, and the former India batter soon declared his retirement from all cricket. Gambhir returned to the IPL in 2022 as the Lucknow Super Giants' mentor for two seasons before parting ways with the organisation and returning to where he is most liked and adored.
While Gambhir was away from KKR, plenty was happening behind the scenes. According to a report in Dainik Jagran, Shah Rukh and Gambhir met multiple times between 2018 and 2022 but never discussed cricket before last year. According to the Hindi Daily, after leading LSG to straight playoffs, Gambhir considered leaving the franchise, but Shah Rukh intervened. He invited Gambhir to his residence, 'Mannat', where they spoke for hours. That is where SRK offered Gambhir a blank cheque in exchange for a 10-year contract with the KKR.
Interestingly, Sanjiv Goenka, the proprietor of LSG, was unaware of any of it. Goenka was taken aback when Jagran revealed that Gambhir was considering leaving LSG to pursue other opportunities. Meanwhile, Gambhir had concluded that, despite two very successful seasons, he did not see his future with LSG. The report further stated that SRK's offer was so attractive that Gambhir made up his mind'. Finally, in September of last year, Gambhir's return to KKR was confirmed, with the comeback culminating in a great IPL season for the Knight Riders under GG's leadership.