As Varun Chakravarthy approached the rostrum, he was serenaded by “Varun, Varun” chants from the fans. They turned up in numbers at Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, where Kolkata Knight Riders held Knights Unplugged 2.0 — a fan-engagement event — on Wednesday. The supporters gave the spinner a hero’s welcome.
What a difference a year can make! Over the past 12-odd months, Varun has won the IPL for KKR, earned an India recall, became the team’s “X-factor” and lifted the Champions Trophy.
Pairing up with Sunil Narine, KKR’s self-effacing hero, the 33-year-old is once again ready to give batters sleepless nights in this year’s IPL that gets underway on March 22. The defending champions versus Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru — a full house at Eden Gardens is guaranteed.
For Mysore, no other city like Kolkata
Shah Rukh Khan, KKR’s co-owner, time and again speaks about the energy that fans in Kolkata oozes, driving the team through ups and downs. At the event, the franchise CEO Venky Mysore, too, tipped his hat to the die-hard supporters. “It’s my 15th season with KKR and whenever I’m here, it gives me goosebumps,” he said. “To see the fans, you see the emotions here — there’s not another city in the world like Kolkata.”
About the team, he said: “When you have this kind of team and this kind of leadership, you got to have a smile on your face. I couldn’t be happier.”
KKR have lost their title-winning captain, Shreyas Iyer, and their larger-than-life mentor, Gautam Gambhir. And yet, they don’t look depleted, thanks to an excellent auction, where their strategy was well thought-out.
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Everyday a payback day for Iyer
The idea was to retain the winning core as much as it was practically possible in a mega auction year. They forked out Rs 23.75 crore for Venkatesh Iyer, after initially releasing him, raising a few eyebrows. But the all-rounder was needed for the team balance. “My IPL journey started with KKR,” he said. “This franchise gave me a new life. It’s actually an honour to be called a key player of this franchise. Every time I take the field, I try to pay them back.”
Ajinkya Rahane, the new captain, spoke about aiming for a “strong season”, while head coach, Chandrakant Pandit, lauded the team atmosphere and gave credit to Mysore for allowing the coaching staff and players to do their job with “complete freedom”.
Bravo, Dwayne! A new party begins
Over to the new mentor, Dwayne Bravo, who has big boots to fill. The Trinidadian has won everything that T20 cricket can offer, and he revels in a winning mentality. “I’m happy that now I’m part of the KKR set-up and I don’t have to go to sleep, thinking about countering the likes of (Andre) Russell and Narine,” said Bravo, tongue firmly in cheek.
On a more serious note, he added: “The team knows how to win the championship. Now, it’s about how to defend the title. It’s a different challenge. I will add the champion mentality.”
Then, he picked up the mic and did a jig, as the fans danced to his tune: “Everybody know say Bravo a champion”…
The three IPL trophies on the stage looked resplendent, and there was a vow to add a fourth star on the shirt. KKR play their cricket with passion and the fans open their hearts and hearth for their favourite team.
TRAP, a rock band, perfectly summed the connection — ‘Dil Se Re’.
Also Read: KKR Net Peek: Team running on autopilot, playing XII all but settled
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