Devastated KKR supporters miss Gautam Gambhir after defeat against SRH

The first three seasons of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) weren’t pleasant ones for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as they failed to progress beyond the round-robin stage on every other instance. In 2011, the franchise appointed a new skipper in Gautam Gambhir, for whom it shelled out a whopping INR 11.04 crore. The decision turned out to be an absolute masterstroke.

In 2011, KKR went to the playoffs and in the next year, they lifted their maiden championship, beating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final at the Chepauk, a venue where CSK are deemed to be nearly unbeatable. The victory came as a breather for the Knight Riders and subsequently, Gambhir became one of the most loved cricketers in Kolkata for his jaw-dropping performances.

A couple of years later in 2014, the Men in Gold and Purple won their second title, this time by beating the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Delhi-born kept growing in stature. Even as a batsman, he didn’t flatter to deceive by any stretch of the imagination. However, after leading KKR for three more editions, Gambhir left the franchise prior to the 2018 auction.

Fans missing Gautam Gambhir badly

Last year, following Gambhir’s shift to the Delhi Daredevils, now Capitals, Dinesh Karthik was appointed as the new KKR captain. He took his team to the playoffs last season, but his journey hasn’t been that great in this edition’s IPL. The Kolkata-based franchise is currently placed in the sixth position of the points table with four victories from 10 matches and four games remaining.

The Knights lost their last five matches, their latest defeat coming against Kane Williamson’s Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. In order to progress to the playoffs, KKR are in requite of winning all their remaining games. In the meantime, fans are missing Gambhir badly in the franchise’s tough times and it’s pretty understandable.

Here is how Twitter reacted

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