Phil Salt Snubs Shreyas Iyer, Credits Gautam Gambhir For IPL 2024 Masterstroke

Salt credits Gambhir for KKR's IPL 2024 success [Source: AFP]

Gautam Gambhir surely has some flaws in his coaching ideas and methods, but when it clicks, the team generally does well and goes on to win the tournament. His methods worked with Team India as they captured the T20 World Cup in 2026, and the plans certainly paid off for KKR, who won the IPL title in 2024.

Gambhir has his unconventional methods, and the former Indian cricketer is particular about his ideas. He has certain philosophies, and the Delhi cricketer sticks to them to get the best possible results.

After retiring from international cricket, the legendary player worked in the IPL and helped the Lucknow Super Giants reach back-to-back playoffs. However, his biggest moment came in 2024, when “mentor” Gambhir helped the team conquer the league for the third time.

How under "mentor" Gambhir, KKR dominated the IPL

KKR had assembled one of the best teams in IPL history in 2024, and it reflected in their results as the side finished the league stage at the top of the table. Gambhir, who had earlier led KKR to multiple IPL titles as captain, was roped in as their mentor.

The Kolkata-based franchise had one of the most dominant seasons as they won 9 out of the 12 completed matches, and lost only three to finish with 20 points and a net run-rate of +1.428.

The team was led by Shreyas Iyer, but Gambhir pulled most of the strings as the team defeated SRH in a one-sided battle in Qualifier 1, and they repeated the heroics by thrashing the same team in the final.

Phil Salt snubs Shreyas Iyer, gives credit to Gambhir for KKR's IPL win

Ever since KKR won the league in 2024, there has been a hot debate going on: Who should get the credit for the win? Captain Shreyas Iyer, or mentor Gautam Gambhir? While some have lauded Iyer for his masterful captaincy, others have hailed Gambhir for his brilliance.

Settling the debate, ex-KKR player Phil Salt opened up about Gambhir’s role in the title win, and how the mentor came up with the tactical plan to pair him alongside Sunil Narine at the top.

Also Read: Phil Salt Reveals What Virat Kohli Did To Him When He Hit The King On His Face

"When I was with KKR and opened the batting with Sunil Narine for the entire season, it was Gambhir's plan and he had the right idea. And he made it completely certain that everybody knew the road that we are going down and that the partnership won't click everytime. But when it does happen, we win," Salt said in an interview with Super Over Podcast.

He continued: "Gambhir must have sat in Sunny's (Narine) room for hours, trying to convince him to open because Sunny didn't want to at first. But he came around to the idea and he became the MVP by a long way that year. The distance between Narine and myself in the MVP race, and we were 1 and 2 mid-competition, was the same as the distance between myself and MS Dhoni at 82."

Salt-Narine pair wreaked havoc in IPL 2024

Salt was the guaranteed opener for KKR, but there was a debate on who should partner him. Gambhir chose Sunil Narine, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Gambhir’s idea was to form an opening pair that might not be the most consistent, but it surely had to be the most destructive, and the Salt-Narine pair certainly lived up to the hype.

The English opener played 12 times for KKR in IPL 2024, and he amassed 435 runs, with an astonishing strike rate of 182.01. His tournament also included four brilliant half-centuries.

On the other hand, Narine had his dream IPL run with the bat in 2024, as KKR unleashed his best version, and the stats tell the story. He slammed 488 runs in 15 matches, with a strike rate of 180, including three fifties and a solitary hundred.

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