The victory celebration event of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise, scheduled to take place on July 23, at the Eden Gardens, has been cancelled. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) wasn’t certain about the planning to celebrate the success of the side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
It’s been around two months since the KKR side, under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, got the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during the final of the 17th season of the competition, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
At the end of that competition, the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 was due to start in a week in the United States of America and the West Indies. So, many players flew away to their respective countries, and the team couldn’t make their return to Kolkata with the trophy, a traditional celebration that the Gautam Gambhir-led side did when they won in 2012 and 2014.
Most KKR players get busy with international commitments
Back in that two seasons, the KKR team along with CAB and the government of West Bengal did a victory parade with huge celebrations at Eden. The co-owner of the franchise- the Bollywood star, Shahrukh Khan was the center point of all the celebrations as he entrained the whole crowd with his dance moves and other activities.
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The entire squad, along with the coaching staff were present in the function as the West Bengal government used to honor the players. However, this year has been different because of the T20 World Cup 2024 happening just a week after the end of the IPL 2024.
The reports claimed that the celebration in Kolkata by the KKR team was due to happen on July 23, where the newly appointed India head coach Gautam Gambhir was expected to be present along with SRK. However, a CBI official clarified that no such information has been shared with them.
‘If anything, Nabanna could be aware of such a plan.’ A CAB source was quoted as being written by the Telegraph.
Gambhir wasn’t part of the franchise for a long time, as the KKR franchise too didn’t touch success for around 10 years. However, once the former captain of the franchise made his return in the squad, as a mentor, the wait ended and they went on to lift their third trophy in the event.
The recent development has confirmed that the event won’t take place. Even if it had, Gambhir along with most of the players might not be able to attend it. The likes of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell- who are two important members of the KKR team are currently being involved in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024.
Also Read: Gautam Gambhir To Attend KKR’s IPL 2024 Victory Celebrations At Eden Gardens On July 23
India are due to fly to Sri Lanka on July 23 or 24. This means that if selected, then the Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh wouldn’t have been part of the event. The same goes with the new India head coach Gautam Gambhir who will start his international coaching career in that series with the Indian team.
The franchise, however, has been looking for a replacement for their former captain in the mentor role. The former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who was part of the team in the past, could be an option, while former India head coach Rahul Dravid’s name too was speculated for the position.
