Former KKR captain Gautam Gambhir made a much-anticipated return to his old franchise as the mentor of the side in November 2023. He left KKR in 2018 with the side releasing him in the mega auction and after that he became captain of Delhi Daredevils. At the end of the season, he retired from IPL. Ahead of IPL 2022, new franchise Lucknow Super Giant made him the mentor and after two successful years with LSG, he returned back to KKR. KKR has failed to replicate their past success recently failing to make the play-offs in the last two seasons. Captain Shreyas Iyer missed the 2023 season and Nitish Rana took over as the interim captain. Now, reports suggest that with Shreyas Iyer's return from injury , a captaincy debate has sparked inside the camp with Gautam Gambhir backing Nitish Rana for the leadership role. 'It's Like Two Delhiites Talking...' KKR Mentor Gautam Gambhir Opens Up About His Relationship With Franchise Co-Owner Shah Rukh Khan, Video Goes Viral!

It is reliably understood by news outlet News18 that Rana has new mentor Gambhir’s backing to continue as skipper for the 2024 edition too. No formal decision has been made in this regard yet but former India cricketer backing Rana is likely to create some unrest in the KKR camp ahead of the season where they are looking to press the reset button to return to glory days. Gambhir’s weight behind Rana doesn’t come as a surprise as the India stalwart has backed the left-hander since his early days with the Delhi side. Both Gambhir and Rana share the same coach Sanjay Bharadwaj and have together spent hours training at LB Shastri Cricket Academy in New Delhi. 'None' Gautam Gambhir’s Response After Being Asked to Pick Favourite Footballer Between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Video Goes Viral.

For Shreyas Iyer, the situation isn't something new as he faced a situation similar to this in his earlier franchise Delhi Capitals in 2021. He was ruled out in the first half of the season and when he returned Rishabh Pant was already given the leadership duties. It created an unrest inside the dressing room and Iyer decided to get a release from the franchise. Interestingly, Shreyas Iyer got the captaincy in Delhi Capitals by replacing Gautam Gambhir only. As the IPL 2024 auction approaches, KKR will need to make a decision soon.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 12, 2023 07:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).