Former Indian opener and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor, Gautam Gambhir, made it clear that the team can’t win the Fairplay Award with him despite his great efforts in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024).
At the moment, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are at the bottom of the table for the Fairplay Award in the league phase of the ongoing IPL 2024. Notably, a team is given the Fairplay Award for their on-field conduct during the course of the season.
However, the KKR mentor said that he tried his best for the Fairplay Award, but the team is still bottom in the standings, and he would love to win the IPL trophy instead of being a popular cricketer or team.
Gautam Gambhir reflects on Fairplay Award and his reunion with Virat Kohli
Gautam Gambhir said on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube chat show ‘Kutti Stories with Ash’: “At the end of the IPL season, you’re going to have an IPL trophy in your hand. Would you prefer that or would you be a popular cricket and not have that trophy?”
To which Ashwin replied immediately: “I don’t want the Fairplay award.”
Gambhir further explained his philosophy: “Someone sent me a message a couple of days ago. KKR is where KKR is at the moment. I said yeah. At the top. ‘In fair play?’ I said number 10. ‘Is there a trophy?’ I said, No. I still don’t understand. What have we done wrong in the last five games?
Probably it’s just because I was sitting in the dugout. The moment I am there with any franchise to fair play award, we are either number nine or 10. Last year LSG was number nine and KKR is number 10. So, if you want a Fairplay Award, stay away from me.”
Meanwhile, Gambhir also reflected on his reunion with Virat Kohli, which came a year after their heated on-field altercation that required intervention from fellow players and match officials. It happened when he was Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) mentor in the IPL 2023.
‘You will never have that Fairplay award till I am there’: Gautam Gambhir
Despite hugging each other, Gambhir expressed disappointment over their team’s standing in the Fair Play awards. He had expected a higher ranking in the fair play standings due to the incident at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, but the teams remain at the bottom of the fair play standings.
“Honestly, I thought we will be at the top of the Fair play table after what happened in Chinnaswamy. I have done the best of my ability and still we are at 1,” Gambhir said referring to the hug between him and Virat Kohli at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Well, Ashwin asked whether the KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan had insisted to Gambhir that they wanted to win the Fair Play award above all else. However, the KKR mentor didn’t give a straightforward answer but stressed that they would never win that award until he was with them.
He signed off by saying, “Probably you need someone else in the dugout because you will never have that Fairplay award till I am there. I have done the best I could, to the best of my ability. Still, we are number 10 in the Fair Play award.”
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Notably, KKR will face the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 21, while Ashwin’s Rajasthan Royals (RR) will take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the eliminator on May 22 at the same venue in Ahmedabad.
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