Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir had a clear message for his team ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 starting March 22. In an interaction on Star Sports, Gambhir made it clear that IPL is not about Bollywood or the after parties but a brilliant opportunity for young players to prove themselves in the ‘toughest league in the world’. The former India batter, who led KKR to the IPL title in 2012 and 2014 as captain, also said that the competition is the closest to international cricket and as a result, the pressure to perform is even more on both the players and the franchises.

“I made it very clear on Day 1 that IPL for me, a serious cricket. It’s not about Bollywood, it’s not about you, it’s not about after party and stuff. It’s about going out there and playing competitive cricket and that’s the reason why I feel is the toughest league in the world because it is proper cricket,” Gambhir said.

“It is probably closest to international cricket as compared to any other league and if you want to be known as a successful franchise, you should be able to deliver on the cricket field,” he added.

KKR failed to reach the play-offs after finish seventh in the previous season after finishing seventh and Gambhir said that the players need to work hard for the passionate fanbase of the team.

“I think there are very passionate fans. We need to be honest to them. We need to try and probably bring that happiness on their smiles because I’ve always believed I think the most loyal fans have been fans from Kolkata because they’ve gone through a lot in the first three years of the IPL,” Gambhir said.