New Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Dwayne Bravo does not want the Indian Premier League defending champion to change its winning components.
Bravo has communicated with Gautam Gambhir, who mentored the aspect to its third title earlier than shifting on to coach India, whereas taking on the brand new duty.
“It’s going to be disrespectful of me not to try and find out some of the good things he (Gambhir) did last season. The core of the team is here. It was our duty to go into the auction and try to get back as much as the same squad of players from the championship winning team. We were able to get that. Unfortunately, we lost some players,” Bravo mentioned on the season opening press convention of the franchise on the Eden Garden in Kolkata on Thursday (March 13, 2025).
“GG has his style, I have my style. We’re both successful in our own ways. Definitely, I messaged him a few times. I will be leaning a lot on these guys because they had a successful formula. It’s important that we follow that formula.”
Bravo, who was a part of the Caribbean Premier League champion Trinbago Knight Riders, a sister franchise of KKR, mentioned, “That energy and that vibe, I am going to try to bring that here as well. It is already a successful team. We look at building on that.”
Captain Ajinkya Rahane caught to his ‘team first’ philosophy. “It’s an honour to be the captain of this wonderful franchise. Chandu (coach Chandrakant Pandit) Sir and I worked together when he was with the Mumbai team. He’s very disciplined, focused, and knows how to get the best out of every individual,” mentioned Rahane.
“For me, it’s always about having good communication with our players. Giving them that freedom on the field to express themselves and try and understand each other. It will be a challenge for us to defend the title. That’s why we play cricket.
“Our preparation has been really good. We had a very good 10-day camp in Mumbai and then here. I expect everyone to have good intent, good attitudes.”
Pandit mentioned coping with a brand new captain and a brand new mentor was not tough. “There is a core group. About the support staff change, they are all experienced,” mentioned Pandit.
KKR vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer mentioned though he may not keep away from the eye due to his price ticket (Rs 23.75 crore), which made him the third costliest participant on the mega public sale, he tried to take up the stress. “When the IPL starts (on March 22 with KKR meeting Royal Challenger Bengaluru here), it really will not matter for what price you were picked or what is expected out of you. If you are taking the field for a side, you will be expected to do well,” mentioned Venkatesh
Showing camaraderie, Rahane supported his deputy. “Venkatesh Iyer deserves that price. People are talking about all these things but he has done well for his franchise on a number of occasions,” mentioned Rahane.
Published – March 13, 2025 06:25 pm IST
