Gautam Gambhir received a heartwarming request from a fan during a KKR event ahead of the match against Mumbai Indians.
Gautam Gambhir has been a pillar for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. He is the only captain from the franchise to have won the IPL title; Gambhir has achieved the feat twice, in 2012 and 2014. Gambhir arrived at the Knight Riders on the backdrop of Sourav Ganguly’s departure, which created quite a controversy among the franchise fans. However, Gambhir quickly won over the fanbase with his consistent performance and leadership qualities, eventually leading them to title twice in his captaincy stint.
KKR fan requests Gautam Gambhir (L) to never leave the franchise(X/KKRiders)
He left the side ahead of the 2018 season to return to Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils), eventually retiring from the league in the same season. However, the love for Gambhir never faded and relentless calls have been made from fans to bring the title-winning star back to the franchise. The pleas were eventually answered earlier this year when Gambhir made a blockbuster return to KKR as a mentor following his two-year stint in the same role with Lucknow Super Giants.
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KKR have been brilliant this season, resting comfortably at the top of the table with 16 points to their name and almost assured of a playoff berth. During a KKR event, Gambhir received a heartwarming message from one of the fans, who couldn’t suppress his emotions as he pleaded with the former opener to never leave the franchise ever again.
“I’m one of your biggest fans. Just want to say, aap hamein chhodh kar aur mat jaaiye. We can’t tell you how hurt we were when you left. I want to dedicate a Bengali song to you. You are my heart; we keep you in our hearts. Please never leave us, don’t hurt us. Please, sir, please,” said the fan.
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Another person, seemingly the host, explained the song’s meaning to Gambhir. “He sang a line which means, I will keep you right here; I’ll never leave you. I think that’s the sentiment that everyone has,” said the person, which Gambhir acknowledged and conveyed his thanks.
Gambhir is working alongside head coach Chandrakant Pandit; one of the first changes in KKR following Gambhir’s arrival was the return of Sunil Narine to the opening role in the batting order. The move has given tremendous dividends to the Knight Riders thus far, as the West Indian southpaw has 461 runs in 11 matches. striking at 183.67.
KKR meet MI
The Knight Riders will look to strengthen their top spot in the points table when they meet the struggling Mumbai Indians, who became the first team to get eliminated from the playoffs race earlier this week. KKR will take a two-point lead over the second-placed Rajasthan Royals with a win on Saturday.
