Cricket
Gautam Gambhir vows to 'contest for the soul of UP'
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has been roped in as mentor for the new Lucknow IPL franchise.
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir (Source: Hindustan News Hub)
Ahead of IPL 2022, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was appointed as a mentor for the new Lucknow franchise on Saturday. Currently, a member of the Lok Sabha, in the past Gambhir has led the Kolkata Knight Riders to lift two IPL titles.
In an official statement, confirming his return to the IPL, Gambhir said, "The fire to win a contest still burns bright inside me, the desire to leave a winner's legacy still kicks me 24x7. I will not be contesting for a dressing room but for the spirit and soul of Uttar Pradesh."
Owner of the yet-to-be-named Lucknow franchise Sanjiv Goenka also welcomed the ex-star opener to the RPSG family. "Gautam has an impeccable career record. I respect his cricketing mind and look forward to working with him," he said.
The 40-year-old Gambhir has scored a total of 4217 IPL runs in 154 matches, during his time with KKR.
In October 2021, business tycoon Sanjiv Goenka and international equity investment firm Irelia Company Pte Limited (CVC Capital) had shelled out a combined Rs 12,715 crore (approx. USD 1.7 billion) to win the bids for two new IPL teams.
The BCCI was hoping for a cumulative bid in the range of Rs 10,000 crore but to their surprise, earned Rs 7090 crore from Goenka's RP-SG Group for the Lucknow franchise, while CVC capital forked out Rs 5625 crore for the Ahmedabad team.
The two new sides will take part in the 2022 IPL. PTI had reported on Sunday that Goenka was one of the favourites to win a team after having been in the IPL for two years in 2016 and 2017 when he owned the Rising Pune Supergiants.
