India, April 7 -- Shah Rukh Khan and Gautam Gambhir were the perfect recipe behind Kolkata Knight Riders' success. Think about it. On the three occasions when KKR won the IPL, SRK, the owner, had Gambhir at his disposal. The first two years as a captain in 2012 and 2014, and later as a mentor in 2024. No wonder KKR and SRK weren't exactly over the moon when Gambhir left the franchise for national duty - to become India's head coach after Rahul Dravid's tenure ended after last year's T20 World Cup.

KKR thrive on having a positive environment around the team, as reflected by SRK's frequent appearance in the dressing room - in reality or via an audio message. And that is why this team is where it is. Despite having a hot and cold start to I...