Return of the Knights
Long derided as a vanity project, Kolkata Knight Riders redeemed themselves with an emphatic win in IPL- 5, blending cohesive teamwork with inspirational leadership
Long derided as a vanity project, Kolkata Knight Riders redeemed themselves with an emphatic win in IPL- 5, blending cohesive teamwork with inspirational leadership.
The night before the crucial final on May 27 in Chennai, Kolkata Knight Riders ( KKR) co- owner Shah Rukh Khan wanted his team to assemble at the conference room of Taj Coromandel at 8.30 p. m. He walked in a few minutes later. Australian coach Trevor Bayliss, appointed in March 2012, took a quick roll call. Khan, 46, had not shaved, his hair was dishevelled. He stood at the head of the table and started talking. “I want you to hear what people you love have said about you, listen to it. Sleep well. Wake up to a new life, totally transformed,” he said.
Lights were dimmed and a support staff member switched on an eightminute video clip that Khan had hurriedly directed and voiced for his team. The players watched in awe. First up were Gautam Gambhir’s parents, exhorting their son: “We know you will win the day, we are with you.” Their images dissolved to make way for model Shamone Jardim, Jacques Kallis’s fiancee. “Our engagement will acquire a new meaning tomorrow, you will win, my love,” she said, in a scene worthy of Bollywood. Yusuf Pathan’s parents urged their son to do them proud. And then there was Manvinder Sultan Singh Bisla’s father Sultan, a retired officer of Haryana Agriculture University, Hissar. “We have always supported you, our prayers will reach you in Chennai, you will win,” he said, his voice choking. “It worked as a stress- buster,” recalls Gambhir, allowing himself the luxury of a laugh. Throughout the 53- day tournament, KKR’s 29- year- old skipper had made his players and the team his priority. “Limelight is a problem, stay out, stay out,” he often told his players.
It worked. But the transformation started in 2011. The year 2010 was KKR’s worst. It had finished last among all teams. The following year, Khan and co- owner Jay Mehta, the 51- year- old owner of the Mumbai- based Mehta Group, called key members of the side, which included the new CEO Venky Mysore, marketing head Joy Bhattacharya and then coach, Australian Dav Whatmore. They all huddled together at Mannat, Khan’s bungalow in Mumbai, for more than 48 hours. “Start again, fresh. Take hard calls, unpleasant calls. But let cricket prevail. Let the stars go, let the fans stay. They will, I am confident,” said Khan.
At the January 2011 auction in Bangalore, the owners dropped big stars, including skipper Sourav Ganguly
and the hard- hitting Chris Gayle. They spent a little over $ 5 million ( Rs 25 crore) to pick Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallis, Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine in the first 30 minutes of the bidding process.
In the run- up to the auction for IPL’s 2012 edition, Gambhir, Khan and Mehta pushed the bar high. Whatmore headed for Pakistan, a three- member KKR team met Bayliss after receiving favourable reviews from former Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya. Once he came in, they started a monthlong preparation for IPL- 5, in December 2011, by conducting mock auctions. Khan made one point clear: Replace the word star with cricket. Gambhir agreed. At the auction in Bangalore in February, KKR was the only team where the owners were not present. Khan wanted managers to represent the side.
The change was felt at the 20 daylong preparatory camp that started in Kolkata in the second week of February. Teammates would often slip handwritten notes into the skipper’s hotel room with ideas on how to revamp the team. The start was not good, the team lost its first two matches to Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals and mild depression set in. Khan would always join the side, playing Kabir Khan, his iconic role in the 2007 blockbuster Chak De! India, sharing real- life stories of success and failures. The turnaround started happening.
Patient with underperforming players, Gambhir was exemplary as skipper. He backed everyone, even those who didn’t fire. Like Yusuf Pathan, a $ 2.1 million ( Rs 10.5 crore) investment, who performed only once. There were other factors that helped the Men in Purple. Narine flourished, justifying the stiff battle between KKR and Mumbai Indians at the auction. His $ 7,00,000 ( Rs 3.5 crore) price tag was worth his weight in the Player of the Tournament trophy. Brendon McCullum, who was picked up for $ 900,000 ( Rs 4.5 crore), scored 289 runs with one half- century in 12 innings.
The team started to function as a cohesive unit. If one member walked to a nearby church, he would return to say he prayed for all. “The praise was for everyone. The one who got big runs, many wickets and those who stopped a