CEO Venky Mysore remembers to win the 2014 title, amidst the ongoing struggles between KKR.

Venki Mysore, CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders, threw his weight behind the team despite his stuttering campaign this season, called it a “flexible” unit and urged the players to inspire the dramatic changes of the side in the 2014 season titled Gautam Gambir. Defending champions slipped for their fifth defeat in eight matches on Sunday, going down by 39 runs for Gujarat Titans at Eden Gardens. With only six points on the board, KKR now faces a difficult task in its dialect to reach the playoffs, which requires winning at least five of the remaining six matches to be in a dispute.

Mysore said during a campaigner program here, “This is a very flexible team, Knight Riders. This is our 18th season, we have always been in the top-three.”

He recalled his campaigns in 2014 and 2021 when he bounced back, won the title and reached the finals respectively.

“There are two examples that come to my mind that I always share with new people who come in setup …

“In 2014, we won only two and lost five on the halfway stage, but you know what happened in 2014, we set an IPL record and won nine games on Trott and won the IPL.

“After that we played the Champions League, and we won five in a row. So there is a record of 14 consecutive wins. It was not a flash in the pan. In 2021, we again won two wins and five, we went to the final.

“So anything can happen in this format. There are still a lot of games left and it is someone’s point that we have the inspiration to show the inspiration that takes us into line. Inspiration can come from anywhere.” Mysore urged fans and critics to urge to get too trapped in the league table, highlighting that the IPL’s unexpectedness often offers unexpected turnarounds.

“Sometimes you get stuck with the IPL, we look at the table, win and harm … Then you keep things in perspective – there is a way of life beyond the table, victory and disadvantage – and you can take inspiration from anywhere. The kind of experience we have, surely some sparks.” The franchise has brought back its former assistant coach Abhishek Nair to Guna. Nair, who was summarized to join KKR as an assistant coach of India, returned just a day after the news broke that his contract with the BCCI was over.

Nair’s return time could not be more important, as the team batsmen are going through a difficult phase and they want to organize and reset again.

Apart from captain Ajinkya Rahane, who have shown a stable form, but are not able to take the team to line, the rest of the batting line-ups have faltered under pressure.

Rahane expressed happiness over Nair’s return, describing him as an invaluable part of the KKR ecosystem.

“It is good to return Abhishek to the setup. He has been an important member of the side. As players, for me, we are all really happy to see him back.

“He is really emotional, he knows every and every player. His role in this team is really important, so we are all really happy,” Raine said.

(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)