Cricket

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) emerged victorious in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the third time this year, defeating SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final. This triumph marked their first IPL success since 2014, and former India head coach Gautam Gambhir played a pivotal role in all three of KKR's victories.In 2012 and 2014, Gambhir captained KKR to two IPL titles. This year, he transitioned into a mentorship role, joining KKR from the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he had also served as a mentor.Gambhir's contributions to LSG were significant, as he helped build the team from the ground up. LSG owner Sanjeev Goenka acknowledged Gambhir's role in the franchise's success, particularly in the team's first auction."Gautam has played a significant role in building the side's foundation," Goenka said. "If you consider our first auction successful, it is only because of Gautam. We got the franchise barely two weeks before the auctions. We did not have an analyst or a research team. It was all Gautam Gambhir's team. He did everything and put together a very balanced team."LSG qualified for the IPL playoffs in its first two seasons before finishing seventh in IPL 2024. Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auctions, LSG appointed former India pacer Zaheer Khan as the franchise's mentor.Zaheer expressed his commitment to serving the team in every capacity possible, including bowling. He emphasized the importance of decision-making and building on the team's existing strengths."It is a team game, so I will be serving the team in every capacity possible, and yes, it includes bowling," Zaheer said. "When you see LSG, their journey is only three years but they are as comparable to the teams who have played the IPL for 17-18 years. The building blocks are in place and we need to take them forward."

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season was marred by a controversial incident involving Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjeev Goenka and skipper KL Rahul. Following LSG's humiliating 10-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Goenka was caught on camera having a heated confrontation with Rahul.LSG spinner Amit Mishra, in an interview with YouTuber Shubhankar Mishra, shed light on the incident. Mishra revealed that Goenka's anger stemmed from LSG's consecutive heavy defeats. "He was disappointed. We lost two back-to-back matches very badly," Mishra said. "It felt like we were bowling them during a net practice session."Mishra clarified that Goenka's criticism was directed at the team's lack of fight and poor bowling performance. "He said that the bowling was very bad and the team should have shown some fight," Mishra explained. "It looked like you have completely surrendered."However, Mishra downplayed the severity of the incident, attributing it to the media's sensationalism. "It was not a huge deal," he said. "But I later came to know that he said that the bowling was very bad and the team should have shown some fight. It looked like you have completely surrendered. But I feel people and media hyped it up a bit."Amidst rumors of Rahul's potential departure from LSG, Mishra expressed his belief that the team should prioritize a captain with a strong T20 mentality and a commitment to the team's success. "It does not matter if he is in the Indian team or not," Mishra said. "But a person who has the right mentality for T20s should be the captain. Someone who plays for the team should be captain. I am sure LSG will look for a better captain."