"Thought that we would be at the top of Fair Play Award table " - Gautam Gambhir jokes about sharing a hug with Virat Kohli in IPL 2024
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir shared a hug with Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) Virat Kohli at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during the ongoing IPL 2024. It is worth noting that the two were involved in a heated exchange last season.
Speaking about his hug with Kohli, Gambhir joked about how he felt KKR would be on the top of the Fair Play Award standings.
During an appearance on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube show Kutti Stories with Ash, he said:
"Honestly, I'll tell you, this year, I thought that we would be at the top of Fair Play Award table because of what has happened in Chinnaswamy. There is no even competition, irrespective of where we are on the points table, but we've got to be at the top of the fair play award but still, we are at the bottom."
KKR finished the league stage of IPL 2024 as the table-toppers. However, they are languishing at the penultimate spot in the Fair Play Award table with 134 points from 14 outings.
"Probably it's just because I'm sitting in that dugout" - Gautam Gambhir on KKR being in the bottom half of IPL 2024 Fair Play Award table
Gautam Gambhir argued that Kolkata have played very fair throughout the season. He cheekily suggested that the side are languishing in the bottom half of the Fair Play Award only due to his presence in the dugout.
"Someone sent me a message a couple of days back: KKR is where KKR is at the moment. I said, yeah. In the top, no. In fair play, at number 10. Is there a trophy? I said, no. And I still don't understand. We played pretty fair. What wrong have we done in the last five games? I don't think so we've done anything wrong. And still we are number 10. Probably it's just because I'm sitting in that dugout," Gambhir said.
Pointing out how Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were also in the bottom half of the Fair Play Award table when he was their mentor last year, Gambhir added:
"Unfortunately, even then I was the backbencher. I was made to sit at the last bench. It's been going with me since I was a young kid and it's continued like that. The moment I'm there with any franchise, the fair play award, we are the where? We are the what? Number 9 or number 10? Last year LSG was number 9, this year KKR is number 10."
KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will lock horns at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, May 21, in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024. The winner of the contest will advance to the final.