Mumbai, March 7 -- Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa recalled how defending Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) struggled for years after their former skipper Gautam Gambhir's departure and his reaction to the World Cup-winning star, now an Indian team head coach, coming back to the franchise last year as a mentor.

KKR will kickstart their title defence against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at their home arena of Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 22, which will also be the tournament opener. Under Gambhir and captain Shreyas Iyer last year, KKR secured their first title in 10 years and overall third, with several stars like Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc delivering memorable performances.

Speaking...