Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Harshit Rana on Monday (April 28) admitted that the defending champions are feeling the absence of former mentor Gautam Gambhir in their dugout.

Gambhir guided KKR to their third IPL title last season. Subsequently, he was appointed as India’s head coach, which led to the end of his tenure at KKR.

Rana had a breakout IPL 2024 season under Gambhir's mentorship, and then went to make his India debut across all three formats.

On the eve of their IPL match against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Harshit Rana revealed how much Gambhir meant to his development.

In the pre-match presser, Harshit was asked if KKR are missing Gambhir. To which, the fast bowler replied: "I won't say that because the composition of our support staff is basically the same (from last year). (Abhishek) Nayar Bhai has also come back. Chandu Sir, (Dwayne) Bravo are all good. But yes, there is this thrill factor which I miss a little. I am not talking about anyone else."

"You also know that Gambhir has an aura, the way he comes and takes the team along. I was just talking about that," Rana further added.

Abhishek Nayar, who returned to KKR's coaching set-up after being sacked as the assistant Indian coach, is seen by Harshit Rana as a major positive.

"There will be a lot of changes now that he (Nayar) has come back. He is a very smart mind and reads situations very well," Rana said.

Having lost five of their nine games, KKR are currently reeling at seventh spot on the 10-team points table. They need to win their remaining five league fixtures to make the IPL 2025 playoffs.