From 2012 to 2024, the Sunil Narine-Gautam Gambhir bond has come a full circle!
The Caribbean spinner was part of the victorious purple brigade in 2012 and 2014 when Gautam Gambhir led them to their two titles.
And now, in 2024, when Gambhir returned to Kolkata as mentor, Narine was still here.
Enroute to their first two titles, Narine was instrumental with the ball, taking 24 wickets in 2012 and 21 wickets in 2014.
While, this time around, on Gambhir's insistence, Narine took the opener's slot, giving a major boost to the KKR batting line-up. He scored 488 runs at a strike-rate of 180.74 including a century.
In a heartwarming clip, the two were seen celebrating their KKR history on May 26.
Amid celebrations in the KKR camp, Narine was seen hugging Gambhir, lifting him up as they two smiled away to glory.
The former India batter returned Narine's gesture before engulfing him in a hug.
The interaction was a reflection of the journey the duo have undertaken at the franchise, from Gambhir's captaincy in 2012 to his mentorship in 2024, winning three titles in a span of 12 years.
Kolkata raced to their historic third IPL title by putting forward an all-round performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Chepauk on Sunday.