Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are entering a new era as they look for a new mentor to replace the services of Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir, who played a key role in KKR’s success in the IPL this year, has quit the franchise to become the head coach of the Indian men’s team. His departure has also taken with him Abhishek Nair and Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coaches, and KKR had to seek out coaches to fill the gap.
Looking at the upcoming season of IPL, the franchise of KKR is said to be planning to seek a number of big names for the position of the mentor. Some frontrunners for the position are franchise cricket icon Jacques Kallis, ex-Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting, and the current Rajasthan Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara.
Recently axed Delhi Capitals captain Ricky Ponting is also reported to be in the fray for the post. Ponting has had a lot of experience in coaching, and his time with the Mumbai Indians has been fruitful. However, the factor of his availability and his compatibility with the vision of KKR will be some important consideration. Kumar Sangakkara, who was reported to be interested in taking up the position, will most probably continue with the Rajasthan Royals as the Director of Cricket.
As of now, Jacques Kallis, who has previous experience working with KKR and was a player under Gambhir’s captaincy in 2012 and 2014 winning seasons, is in the forefront for the post of a mentor. Kallis had been part of KKR’s coaching team in the past, where he had worked as the head coach and batting coach in 2015.
The franchise wants to continue the series of victories that they achieved recently. With Chandrakant Pandit is already being the head coach of the team, the new mentor will be responsible for helping the team face the tough phase in the next season. The contract renewal is expected to be given in the next few weeks, making way for another intense IPL season.
