IPL 2025: THIS Former T20 World Cup-Winning Player Set To Replace Gautam Gambhir As Mentor Of Shah Rukh Khan-Owned Kolkata Knight Riders
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, are currently hunting for new team mentor to replace former India opener Gautam Gambhir who has gone on to become the head coach of the Indian cricket team. With former India head coach Rahul Dravid set to return to Rajasthan Royals, former Sri Lanka captain and T20 World Cup 2014 winning player Kumar Sangakkara is in talks with KKR to join as Team Mentor for the IPL 2025 season.
According to a report in ‘The Telegraph’ newspaper, KKR and Sangakkara are still in discussions about the Sri Lankan legend’s role in the team. Gambhir had served as the team mentor of Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022 and 2023 season before moving to Shreyas Iyer-led KKR team ahead of IPL 2024.
KKR already have former Mumbai coach Chandrakant Pandit as their head coach along with Bharat Arun as bowling coach. KKR have lost the services of Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, who have joined the support staff of Indian cricket team along with Gambhir.
| Kolkata Knight Riders are reportedly in talks with Kumar Sangakkara for the mentor position for IPL 2025.
(The Telegraph) pic.twitter.com/ovAW2Z2Zd4
— KnightRidersXtra (@KRxtra) September 5, 2024
With Dravid joining the Royals along with former India batting coach Vikram Rathour, Sangakkara is on his way out of Sanju Samson-led franchise. According to the report in Telegraph, Sangakkara is currently in talks with other franchises as well.
Sangakkara has been the director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals since the IPL 2021 season. With the Lankan in advanced talks with KKR, a decision on his appointment could come as early as next week.
The Lankan wicketkeeper turned out in 71 matches in his IPL career, scoring 1,687 runs with 10 fifties at a strike-rate of 121.19. In international cricket, the 46-year-old played in 134 Tests and scored 12,400 runs and 404 ODIs while scoring 14,234 runs. He also appeared in 56 T20I matches, scoring 1,382 runs with 8 fifties.