The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin on March 22, and all 10 franchises will try to give their best performance in this tournament. All 10 teams will have their eyes on winning the trophy this season. With the tournament around the corner, one of the teams that could move ahead would be Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

ipl 2024 Earlier, KKR announced the signing of former captain Gautam Gambhir as the team’s mentor for the season. While playing for KKR, Gambhir made the team the IPL champion twice and now as a mentor, he will aim to make his team champion once again. Ahead of the 17th edition of the tournament, Gambhir recently talked about how he has given a serious message to all the players in the team for the upcoming season of IPL.

Speaking to Star Sports, Gambhir said, “Right from the beginning I have made it clear that for me, IPL is a serious cricket tournament. This is not about Bollywood, personal agendas or post-match parties. It’s about playing competitive cricket, which is why I believe it is the toughest league globally. This is a platform for proper cricket.”

He further added, “It is probably closer to international cricket than any other league and if you want to be recognized as a successful franchise, you need to be able to perform well on the cricket field. “

I think KKR has the most loyal fans: Gautam Gambhir

Furthermore, Gambhir also praised the loyal fans of Kolkata Knight Riders, who have supported the franchise during a poor season, and it is time to repay their faith.

The former KKR player said, “I think there are very emotional fans. We need to be honest with them. We need to try to bring that happiness in their smiles because I have always believed that Kolkata has the most loyal fans in my opinion.”