I feel Gautam Gambhir has been quite pivotal in retention of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine: Tom Moody

Ahead of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the various franchises announced their retentions before the upcoming auctions. The two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders went through a major overhaul as well.

With former player Gautam Gambhir joining the side as the mentor, Kolkata retained the likes of Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and many more players ahead of the fresh season.

With the retentions announced, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody came forward to opine that Gambhir was influential in the franchise retaining Russell and Narine ahead of the season. Both Russell and Narine have played under Gambhir's leadership in the IPL, and their retentions could come to benefit the two-time champions.

“This is going to be a telling year for both Russell and Narine. They both have been phenomenal cricketers for KKR and are really a part of their history. I feel that Gambhir has been quite pivotal in the retention of Russell and Narine. Gambhir understands them; he’s played with them, he’s captured them, and he’ll be able to get the best out of them,” Moody told ESPNcricinfo. 

It is worth noting that both Russell and Narine have been influential for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL over the years. While Russell provides the X-factor with the bat, Narine proves to be efficient with both the bat and the ball.

Russell's bowling has been pretty limited as well: Moody

Furthermore, Tom Moody also talked about how Andre Russell’s performance will depend on whether he is able to maintain his fitness and not his skills. Russell struggled quite a lot with injuries in the IPL 2023, and if he is able to avoid them, he could be a crucial player for KKR.

"I think we’ll see a different outcome in 2024 with regards to what Russell brings to the table. The only hesitation I have is not skill. It’s whether he can hold together physically because we’ve seen him break down on a couple of occasions over recent years, and it’s been quite alarming. His bowling has been pretty limited as well, and they haven’t had access to his full quota of overs,” Moody said.