Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has often been criticised for his tactics in Test cricket. Under him, India has two Test series at home, and the brand of cricket the team plays in white-ball cricket has been impressive. Especially in the T20Is, Gambhir has set a template of playing high risk high reward brand of cricket.
Gautam Gambhir has an excellent record as the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) mentor first for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he helped the team qualify for two back to back play offs. Next for his former franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where he mentored the side to their third league title in 2024.
Gautam Gambhir’s record as mentor and coach
After this, with the purple and gold, Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He has a contract till the 2027 ODI World Cup, and currently, India is playing at the T20 World Cup 2026.
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India, so far under Gambhir’s coaching tenure, has won the ICC Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup. However, after a two-year gap, reports are emerging that the team India head coach might return to the world’s toughest T20 league.
Gautam Gambhir to own Rajasthan Royals?
According to reports in Dainik Jagran, Gambhir has been offered a triple role by one of the new owners of the Rajasthan Royals. As the report suggests, one of the three new owners in the Rajasthan franchise approached Gambhir with a request to work with the franchise as “partner, mentor, and CEO.”
The reports stated, “A majority of Rajasthan Royals shareholders are selling their stake to the new owners. The deal is currently in a transferable state. One of the owners in RR’s new management has offered Gambhir a two-to-three per cent stake, in addition to the roles of CEO and mentor.”
Can Gambhir mentor in the IPL under contract with the BCCI?
Gautam Gambhir will not be able to accept any kind of offers from any IPL franchise till he remains head coach of the Indian team. As per the rule provided by the Supreme Court, based on the Lodha Committee’s proposal, it prevents any individual from simultaneously having a position with an IPL franchise and the Indian team, due to a conflict of interest.
In case Gambhir accepts the lucrative proposal from the Royals, he needs to step down from the role of the Indian cricket team. However, as per the reports from the sources, the former India captain has refused to comment on the matter but indicated that he remains committed to his current role.
Gautam Gambhir will be in action during the net session of the Men in Blue today and tomorrow against the Netherlands, with the team, as he has been guiding the senior men’s side well so far in the T20 World Cup competition. As India has won three out of the three games so far and has qualified for the Super 8s.
The IPL is set to begin on 26th March. However, the fixtures for the competition are still awaited.
