IPL 2024: Unhappy Gautam Gambhir's 'Serious' Message For KKR Players

With a few days left to start of Indian Premier League aka IPL 2024, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, a mentor for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), comes out heavily on players and tells them to take the franchise cricket platform seriously. Gambhir said IPL is not about Bollywood and after-match parties, in fact, it is a great opportunity for youngsters to catch the attention of selectors which may help them to knock on the doors of the national team.

Gambhir also termed IPL as one of the 'toughest leagues in the world', adding that the Indian league sets competition level near to international cricket, which helps young players to groom in a better manner and become a strong player.

The left-hander led KKR to clinch winner's trophies in 2012 and 2014.

"I made it very clear on Day 1 that IPL for me, is a serious cricket. It's not about Bollywood, it's not about you, it's not about after party and stuff. It's about going out there and playing competitive cricket and that's the reason why I feel is the toughest league in the world because it is proper cricket," Gambhir said.

"It is probably closest to international cricket as compared to any other league and if you want to be known as a successful franchise, you should be able to deliver on the cricket field," he added.

This is Gautam Gambhir's second stint with Kolkata Knight Riders, but this time he will join the team as a mentor. Before KKR, Gambhir was associated with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as their mentor and helped the team grow rapidly.

While on the other hand, KKR failed to qualify for the play offs and ended their run at the seventh spot in IPL 2023.

Gautam Gambhir recently made headlines when he quit politics to focus on cricket only. He represented the East Delhi constituency as a member of the parliament from the BJP.