Kolkata Knight Riders Missing Gautam Gambhir in IPL 2025? Harshit Rana's Statement Sparks Controversy

DC vs KKR, IPL 2025: Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders are already on the cusp of being eliminated from the playoff race. Kolkata have had a season to forget and as the side gets ready to take on Delhi at the Arun Jaitley stadium, there are doubts in the minds of the players. Fast bowler Harshit Rana has recently claimed that the ‘thrill’ factor is missing. 

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‘There was a thrill factor that I miss a little’

“The support staff is basically the same, and even Nayar bhai is back. But yeah there was a thrill factor that I miss a little - speaking just for myself, not anyone else. But it's nothing like that. It's all the same, Chandu sir, Nayar bhai, Bravo. We are getting the kind of environment we want,” Rana told reporters at the pre-match press conference on Monday.

“There have been changes, of course, since Nayar returned because he has a very smart mind. He reads the game very well. And the Indian core of our team, he knows them very well. He only has helped develop them over many years. So, it helps us that he is back and it feels good,” he added.

It is no secret that Gambhir is a massive Harshit backer. The KKR pacer made his international debut under Gambhir in Australia. 

"I wasn't talking about anything personal. But you also know, he (Gambhir) has an aura in the way he carries the team forward. I was just talking about that," said Harshit.

KKR in a Must-Win

Kolkata need to beat Delhi to keep their hopes of making the playoff alive. The Delhi side were recently beaten by Bengaluru and they would like to get back to winning ways and hence it would not be an easy task for Kolkata. The Knights have been guilty on a couple of occasions this season of throwing away games from being in a winning position and that has hurt the morale of the side.