IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders have won the title twice. KKR’s Robin Uthappa has praised the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir and said that his leadership was the reason, KKR did so well during those two tournaments. He said that Gambhir allowed everyone in the team to express themselves and also gave opportunities to everyone.
Uthappa, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals last year at the auctions in December last year, further explained how Gambhir was able to find success with KKR.
“What stood out for me was that he allowed people to express themselves and didn’t interfere with anyone’s games. He made sure he built a sense of security within the group and that I think also is integral in winning tournaments like the IPL and that’s what successful captains do,” Uthappa said in the latest episode of Star Sports’. he said.
“In my experience of winning tournaments, what I’ve seen is that successful captains give people their space to express themselves and make sure that everyone within the group is feeling secure. So, they communicated to players even who are not playing, there’s a sense of communication that’s growing within the side, you need to bind with players especially in a tournament like the IPL, guys who aren’t playing also play a big factor in building momentum and creating the right energy within the group,” he added.
“He made sure he spent a lot of time with the reserves, he trained with them, he had meals with them, so they never felt left out,” Uthappa further said.
Uthappa has played 177 matches in IPL so far, in which he has scored 4,411 runs at an average of 28.8. Robin Uthappa has started his cricketing career in IPL and got to play with Mumbai Indians in 2008. Then he switched to the Royal Challenge Bangalores team between 2009-2010. And then he spent two years in ‘Pune Warriors India’ between 2011-2013. Finally, he was able to find a permanent place in KKR and spent 6 long years with this franchise.
