I would play for KKR forever if possible: Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill might not have been retained by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The young batter, however, is ready to play for the franchise throughout his career, if possible. Making his IPL debut for the franchise in 2018, Gill emerged as a vital cog of the team. After all, he has played several staggering knocks at the top.

Owing to the same, many were shocked when the franchise didn’t retain him ahead of the next season’s mega auctions. The team owners used all of their four available retention cards and retained Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, and Varun Chakravarthy. Now, it will be interesting to see if KKR goes after the 22-year-old in the bidding event or not.

I have a special bond with KKR: Shubman Gill

If given is chance, Gill would definitely extend his association with the Shah Rukh Khan-owned team. “The kind of bond I have with the KKR franchise is something really special to me. Once you’re associated with a franchise you would want to carry on and play with them forever… And if I would be able to play in purple and gold, I would play forever,” Gill said in a short-film titled ‘Love, Faith and Beyond’.

For the unversed, KKR bought Gill for INR 1.8 crore in the 2018 auction. He made a mark straightaway, slamming 203 runs in the first season at a strike rate of 146.04. Gill was later promoted to the top-order, where he has batted for the best part of his career. So far, the right-handed batter has played 58 matches for the franchise, scoring 1417 runs at a strike rate of 123.

“Not every year you can have all the best teammates or all the best players or all your best friends in one team. Instead of cribbing about the fact that we don’t have them we should cherish the time that we had with them,” Gill further stated.

Meanwhile, the short-film is a tribute to some of the best players who were a part of the KKR. “Ideally, there are so many players you want to retain but it just does not work that way,” MD & CEO, KKR Venky Mysore said.