KKR Told To 'Lure' Gautam Gambhir 'Back' With Stock Options Amid Poor IPL 2026 Form 'Lock Him In For A Long Long Term'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (RCB) are in a spot of bother after losing three of their four games in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Led by Ajinkya Rahane, KKR started with two losses against Mumbai Indians and one against Sunrisers Hyderabad before a washout against Punjab Kings gifted them their first point.

KKR could have notched up their first win of IPL 2026 against Lucknow Super Giants, but a Mukul Choudhary blitzkrieg dampened all Kolkata hearts with a last-ball win at the Eden Gardens. With just a point from four games, KKR find themselves languishing at ninth spot in the points table, just above Chennai Super Kings (CSK ), who are yet to win a game in this season.

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KKR's downfall was taken seriously by former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi. In response to a fan query on X (formerly Twitter), Modi emphasised the importance of having Gambhir at KKR, no matter what it takes. Urging the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise to bring Gambhir back at all costs, Modi opined that the current India coach could be appointed as 'Chief Strategist'.

“That I agree,” Modi wrote in reply to a fan writing“believe this without GG involvement KKR is nothing. Without MSD involvement CSK is nothing”.

"That @GautamGambhir WITHOUT AN IOTA of Doubt In my mind he was the BEST PERSON for @KKRiders- the team management needs to do WHATEVER and I say it again WHATEVER IT TAKES To LURE him back," Modi, who ran IPL for three years - 2008, 2009 and 2010 - said.

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Modi cited the example of Shane Warne, who was given an equity stake at Rajasthan Royals, and asked the same for Gambhir at KKR.“Incentivise him. Like Shane Warne had equity options. Lock him in for a LONG LONG TERM- GIVE him STOCK OPTIONS - I hope they are smart to do that," he added.

Unlike Mumbai Indians (Rohit Sharma), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Virat Kohli) and Chennai Super Kings (MS Dhoni), no team in IPL has a face per se. Calling Gambhir the face of KKR, Modi said,“He does not fall within Player Auction Purse - get him to be the face of the TEAM.”

"There needs to be A PLAYER FACE OF THE TEAM. Gautam should be Kkr's MAIN STRATEGIST GLOBALLY. NO ONE BETTER,” he concluded. Gambhir was with KKR during the franchise's all three IPL-winning years. While Gambhir himself led KKR to IPL wins in 2012 and 2014 as captain, the former India cricketer was KKR's mentor when they won in 2024.

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Date	Opponent	Venue	Time	Result
March 29	Mumbai Indians	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	7:30 PM	Lost
April 2	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	7:30 PM	Lost
April 6	Punjab Kings	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	7:30 PM	Washout
April 9	Lucknow Super Giants	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	7:30 PM	Lost
April 14	Chennai Super Kings	MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai	7:30 PM	TBD
April 17	Gujarat Titans	Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad	7:30 PM	TBD
April 19	Rajasthan Royals	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	3:30 PM	TBD
April 26	Lucknow Super Giants	Ekana Stadium, Lucknow	7:30 PM	TBD
May 3	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Rajiv Gandhi Intl. Stadium, Hyderabad	3:30 PM	TBD
May 8	Delhi Capitals vs KKR	Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi	7:30 PM	TBD
May 13	Royal Challengers Bengaluru	Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, Raipur	7:30 PM	TBD
May 16	Gujarat Titans	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	7:30 PM	TBD
May 20	Mumbai Indians	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	7:30 PM	TBD
May 24	Delhi Capitals	Eden Gardens, Kolkata	7:30 PM	TBD

Catch the live updates from IPL 202 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedul and the IPL 2026 Points Tabl. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Ca and IPL 2026 Purple Ca.

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