Indian Premier League’s (IPL) founder and former chairman Lalit Modi has urged the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to bring Gautam Gambhir back into the team management amid the side’s struggles in IPL 2026. Modi has advised the Knight Riders to incentivise Gambhir if it means to lure him back to the setup and that the former KKR skipper must be the face of the side.
How many times has Gautam Gambhir won the IPL as captain?
While Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are the joint-most successful captains in IPL history, Gambhir falls next in line. The 44-year-old had joined the Knight Riders’ set up in 2011 and propelled the franchise to their maiden title win in 2012. Two years later, Gambhir ushered the Knight Riders to IPL glory yet again after Kolkata defeated Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) in a thriller of a final at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Additionally, he returned as a mentor ahead of the 2024 edition and won the IPL again.
That I agree. That @GautamGambhir WITHOUT AN IOTA of Doubt In my mind he was the BEST PERSON for @KKRiders – the team management needs to do WHATEVER and I say it again WHATEVER IT TAKES To LURE him back. Incentivise him. Like Shane Warne had equity options. Lock him in for a… https://t.co/DAdfCCvmqN
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) April 10, 2026
Hence, Modi took to X and wrote:
“That I agree. That @GautamGambhir WITHOUT AN IOTA of Doubt In my mind he was the BEST PERSON for @KKRiders – the team management needs to do WHATEVER and I say it again WHATEVER IT TAKES To LURE him back. Incentivise him. Like Shane Warne had equity options. Lock him in for a LONG LONG TERM- GIVE him STOCK OPTIONS – I hope they are smart to do that. He does not fall within Player Auction Purse – get him to be the face of the TEAM – There needs to be A PLAYER FACE OF THE TEAM. Gautam should be Kkr’s MAIN STRATEGIST GLOBALLY. NO ONE BETTER.”
KKR vs LSG, IPL 2026: Can Kolkata Knight Riders bounce back and go deep after three defeats?
Meanwhile, the Knight Riders face an uphill task in their IPL 2026 campaign moving forward, having suffered three consecutive defeats. Their campaign began with two losses to the Mumbai Indians and the SunRisers Hyderabad, while the fixture against the Punjab Kings was washed out.
The defeat to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will hurt them the most as Mukul Choudhary’s swashbuckling 54* at the Eden Gardens. stole victory for the them from the jaws of defeat. The three-time champions will next face the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in an away fixture on April 14, Tuesday.
