"We've always had a leader in him when he was playing" - Manish Pandey opens up on reuniting with Gautam Gambhir at KKR ahead of IPL 2024
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Manish Pandey has hailed mentor Gautam Gambhir's leadership qualities as the pair reunited for the 2024 IPL season.
Pandey, 34, played for KKR from 2014 to 2017 under Gambhir's captaincy and enjoyed his best IPL seasons. Ever since, the right-handed batter has played for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Delhi Capitals.
Despite diminishing returns, KKR acquired the services of Pandey for his base price of ₹50 lakh.
In a conversation ahead of IPL 2024, Pandey spoke about reuniting with Gambhir and was as quoted as saying by Cricbuzz:
"Gauti Bhai has done wonders for KKR. We've always had a leader in him when he was playing, and now coming back as a mentor is kind of the same feeling. I am really happy that he's there and that he's going to be taking a lot of important calls for the team and he has done really well here as well."
"Happy to reunite with him, and the kind of josh [excitement] the boys are in with him and the way he speaks.. it felt like home again, felt like a lot of memories coming back. It'll be great that with everybody coming in, it'll be lovely to have the trophy here by the end of IPL," he added.
In his final season with KKR in 2017, Pandey enjoyed arguably his most rewarding time with the bat, scoring 396 runs at an average of almost 50 in 14 games.
Meanwhile, Gambhir was LSG's mentor in 2022 and 2023 before moving to KKR to perform a similar role in the upcoming season.
"Coming back to KKR feels really good, feels like home" - Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey expressed delight at returning to the KKR setup after six years for the 2024 IPL season.
The 34-year-old was integral to the franchise's second title in 2014, scoring a breathtaking 94 off 50 in the grand finale.
"Coming back after six years... 2017 was the last time we played. Coming back to KKR feels really good, feels like home. Spent four years here so KKR as a franchise has given me a lot in terms of my career, and in return what we have given to KKR is also our utmost effort and a trophy. Obviously, it feels very good coming back home, and with Gauti bhai as mentor coming back is also very special because we have a great history before, we've won the IPL before. So it feels good," said Pandey.
After making the final in 2021, KKR struggled in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, missing the playoffs on both occasions.
The Knight Riders will begin their IPL 2024 campaign against SRH at the iconic Eden Gardens on March 23.