Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, Gautam Gambhir has joined Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a mentor. It will be interesting to see if he can produce similar results for the franchise as a mentor as he did in the capacity of a captain.

Notably, Gambhir led KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. He was associated with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as a mentor in the last couple of seasons.

The IPL 2024 season will also mark Manish Pandey’s return to the KKR camp for the first time since 2016. The right-handed batter was a chief architect in Kolkata’s IPL 2014 triumph, scoring 94 off 50 balls in the final against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

Talking about his return to KKR, Pandey expressed his gratification and admiration for Gambhir's mentorship.

"It feels really good coming back home. And with Gauti bhai as a mentor, it is also very special because we have had a great history before and won (the IPL) as well. We haven't had a lot of chats because the first day of practice was today. But hopefully, we'll have a lot of clarity on the roles before the first game of the season," Pandey told the media following their first training session of the season on Friday (March 15).

He added, "Gauti bhai has done wonders for the franchise, and we have always had a great leader in him when he was playing. And now with him coming back as a mentor, it is kind of the same feeling."

Highlighting the importance of Gambhir's guidance, Pandey said, "The kind of 'Josh' the boys are in with him (around) and the way he speaks. We had a small team gathering before. It was really good. He will be taking a lot of important calls for the team. The kind of 'Josh' the boys are in with him (around) and the way he speaks."

With Gambhir at the helm of affairs, Pandey expressed confidence in KKR's prospects, saying, "GG, with his seriousness and his attitude on the field, dictates a lot of things. I am always happy to hear motivating words every time."

Manish Pandey, 34, has played 170 IPL matches so far, scoring 3808 runs at a strike rate of 120.97 with one hundred and 22 half-centuries.