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Kolkata Knight Riders have rediscovered their form under new mentor Gautam Gambhir, who rejoined KKR ahead of IPL 2024.
KKR topped the league standings this season for the first time with nine wins from 14 games.
Gambhir, who guided KKR to two IPL titles as captain in 2012 and 2014, has been a big presence in the KKR dressing room along with Head Coach Chandrakant Pandit as the duo got back the franchise into the play-offs after missing out in the previous two season.
Gambhir credits Co-Owner Shah Rukh Khan for KKR's revival this season. He recalls when he was the KKR captain for seven years, he was never questioned on his cricketing decisions by SRK.
'It is the trust of the owner as well I have said it many times in the past I think SRK is the best owner I have ever worked with.
'The reason is not because now I am back with the KKR. The reason is that in the seven years of me captaining, we had not spoken 70 seconds about cricket. He had never asked me a single question on cricket in those seven years. Can you imagine?' Gambhir revealed on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube channel.
Gambhir further revealed that SRK has given him complete control of cricketing decisions at KKR.
'Since I have come, 20 days we haven't spoken about cricket. We don't talk about cricket. The first thing he told me in 2011 when I met him for the first time he said I don't like anybody telling me how acting needs to be done. I am sure you will not like someone telling you how cricket needs to be played.
'I said absolutely and that was the only conversation I had with him. In the last 20 days he has not asked me what team are we playing or what is the strategy.'
'He has never asked me a single question on cricket. That's the trust. It comes with honesty, with accountability because he knows if something goes wrong I will be the first person in the room to put my hand up and say yes we messed it up and I am accountable for it.'