Gautam Gambhir has revealed that he wants either the Delhi Capitals (DC) or the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to lift the IPL 2021 trophy. The former KKR captain led his franchise to their two IPL wins in 2012 and 2014.
The former opener’s remarks came during an interaction during ESPNcricinfo’s show ‘Runorder’.
Gautam Gambhir Wants KKR To Win, But Heart Wants A New Winner
Gautam Gambhir, who led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, started by saying that his heart still lies with his former team. However, he added that a new winner like Delhi Capitals or Royal Challengers Bangalore would be better for the competition.
Gautam Gambhir said: “I want KKR to win. My heart says KKR should win but at the same time, I want a new winner. So the new winner has to be either Delhi or RCB. I want a new winner and it’s good for the league, the competition and it’s good for everyone.”
Among the four teams that have reached the playoffs this year, only the Chennai Super Kings (thrice) and KKR (twice) have won an IPL title before. DC made their best-ever finish by reaching the finals in IPL 2020, and RCB has been runners-up thrice without clinching the trophy. RCB has played three finals in the IPL but lost all of them (in 2009 to the Deccan Chargers, 2011 to the Chennai Super Kings, and 2016 to Sunrisers Hyderabad).
Gautam Gambhir: KKR’s Bowling Lineup Can Defend 150-160 At Sharjah
When asked whether KKR has it in them to go all the way this season, Gautam Gambhir replied in the affirmative. He explained that playing in Sharjah for the Eliminator and possibly also the second Qualifier gives KKR an advantage as it will suit their spinners and batting lineup.
Gautam Gambhir concluded by saying: “Yes, because they are playing in Sharjah. They’ll play their first [playoffs game] at Sharjah and if they end up beating RCB, they’ll play their next game in Sharjah as well and that’d probably suit their attack. They have got Shakib, Narine and Varun Chakravarthy and they have got their Indian batting that suits that surface. If they can probably get to 150-160, they’ve got the bowling lineup with Lockie Ferguson who’s got pace to defend that total.”
KKR will clash with RCB in the Eliminator on Monday. If the Eoin Morgan-led team wins, they will then meet the loser of the first Qualifier between CSK and DC on Wednesday.
Full of youngsters and potential throughout their ranks, the franchise went into the 2021 mini-auction with a specific plan – adding experience to the squad. Their new acquisitions in the likes of Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan and youngster Venkatesh Iyer did well when their chance finally came in IPL 2021 UAE leg.
Their persistence with the Caribbean duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine over the years has borne fruits for the franchise as the two have been at the end of numerous match-winning performances for the purple brigade. Kiwi speedster Lockie Ferguson continued to terrorize opposition batters with his ruthless pace and menace. At the same time, all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan is capable of winning matches both with the bat and the ball.
Moreover, the Knight Riders have a young fast-bowling contingent, with the likes of Prasidh Krishna, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, and Sandeep Warrier all in the mix and vying to play suiting KKR’s bowling combination.