IPL at the level of T20 World Cup, says Gautam Gambhir
The former Indian star is serving as Kolkata Knight Riders’ mentor in the tournament
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor and former Indian cricketer, Gautam Gambhir, stated that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is at the level of T20 World Cup as it is the toughest league in the world.
Gambhir, who led KKR to two IPL titles as a captain in 2012 and 2014, believes that there is not much difference in teams who are 10th or 1st in the IPL.
"There isn't much difference between the team that finished No.1 and the team that finished No.10. If there's a five-match series between the two teams, I won't be surprised if the No.10 team beats the No.1 team comfortably. That's why the IPL is the toughest league in the world and at the level of any T20 World Cup. We all get the same purse and all teams formed are good," Gambhir told Sportskeeda.
He was then asked why Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lost the Qualifier against Rajasthan Royals (RR) despite being on a six-match win streak to which the World Cup winner said that the intensity that you take on the field with you matters the most.
"Even when I was the captain, I had said that momentum is a word that we just use too much. What matters is with what intensity do you take the field on the day. The team that plays fearlessly and with courage is the one that ends up with the advantage because neither the ball nor the bat knows the momentum," he added.
Gambhir’s KKR will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final and the former batter said that the Pat Cummins-led unit’s bowling is equally destructive as their batting.
"They do have quality bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pat Cummins, and Natarajan. There has been a lot of talk about their batting because they have made such huge scores. But their bowling is equally destructive. You cannot have a good IPL season with only one department firing," Gambhir added.
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