Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Phil Salt has revealed that Gautam Gambhir was the mastermind behind one of the boldest tactical decisions of the IPL 2024 season—promoting Sunil Narine to open the batting. According to Salt, the move transformed KKR’s batting approach and played a crucial role in the franchise’s title-winning campaign.

KKR dominated IPL 2024 from start to finish, winning nine of their 12 completed league-stage matches before producing commanding victories over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1 and the final to lift their third IPL trophy. At the heart of that success was the explosive opening partnership between Salt and Narine, which consistently gave the team flying starts and put opposition bowlers under pressure from the very first over.

Speaking on the Super Over Podcast, Phil Salt credited Gambhir, who served as KKR’s mentor during the season, for having complete faith in Narine’s ability to succeed as an opener. While the move appeared risky at the time, Gambhir was convinced it could redefine the team’s batting identity.

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“When I was with KKR and opened the batting with Sunil Narine for the entire season, it was Gambhir’s plan, and he had the right idea. He made it absolutely clear that everyone knew the road we were going down and that the partnership wouldn’t click every time. But when it does happen, we win,” Phil Salt said.

Salt also revealed that Narine was initially reluctant to take on the new role. However, Gambhir’s persistence eventually paid off, with the former India opener spending hours convincing the West Indies all-rounder to embrace the challenge.

“Gambhir must have sat in Sunny’s room for hours trying to convince him to open because Sunny didn’t want to at first. But he came around to the idea, and he became the MVP by a long way that year,” Phil Salt added.

The numbers fully justified Gambhir’s bold call. Narine enjoyed the best all-round season of his IPL career, scoring 488 runs at a strike rate of nearly 181 while also claiming 17 wickets at an outstanding economy rate of 6.69. His exceptional performances earned him the Most Valuable Player award.

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Salt was equally destructive at the top of the order, scoring 435 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 182. Together, the duo formed one of the most feared opening partnerships of IPL 2024, laying the foundation for KKR’s aggressive brand of cricket. Their success underlined Gambhir’s tactical brilliance, with Salt insisting that the mentor’s unwavering belief in Narine’s promotion ultimately became one of the defining factors behind KKR’s memorable championship-winning campaign.