Gautam Gambhir posts inspirational 'Shree Krishna' quote after KKR's third IPL triumph

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ended their 10-year wait for a third Indian Premier League (IPL) title, as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the finals on Sunday, May 26, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Gautam Gambhir led KKR when they won their first two titles in 2012 and 2014. This year, he played a key role as the mentor of the side and brought out the best from his players.

Ahead of the season, KKR roped in the former India cricketer as their mentor. Gambhir proved his worth and managed to turn things around for a franchise that had finished seventh in the last two seasons. After Shreyas Iyer and Co. defeated Sunrisers in a one-sided final by eight wickets, Gambhir reacted to the win by sharing an inspirational quote from Mahabharata.

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“jiski mati aur gati satya kei ho, uska rath aaj bhi shree krishna chalate hain (Whose thoughts and actions are based on truth, His chariot is still driven by Shri Krishna)," Gambhir wrote on his official 'X' (formerly known as Twitter) handle.

Sunil Narine and Nitish Rana laud Gautam Gambhir's contribution to KKR's success

Narine had been producing the good for KKR with the ball but his batting form had deserted him for the past few seasons. He also lost his opening spot in the team and was used as a floater in the batting line-up. However, things changed after Gambhir's return to the Kolkata-based franchise, as the Caribbean stalwart moved back to the top of the order and had his best IPL season with the willow. In 14 matches, Narine finished with 488 runs at an average of 34.86 and a strike rate of 180.74. The 36-year-old heaped praise and thanked Gambhir for giving him the license to express himself at the top.

“Getting the role to just go out there and express myself, getting team off to a flyer, the support from GG - that was very good,” Narine said in the post-match presentation, after being named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of IPL 2024.

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Meanwhile, Nitish Rana said that he had sent a long message to Gambhir after the latter was announced as the KKR mentor for IPL 2024. The 30-year-old recalled that Gambhir told him he would be more happy if KKR went on to win the title.

"I want to share one short story that when GG bhaiya (Gambhir) was named the mentor, I sent him a long message as I was really happy. But he replied saying, 'Thank you but I would be happy if we stand at the podium with the trophy in our hands'. Today is that day and I will never forget that message," Rana told broadcasters after KKR's title triumph.