Sport can be cruel, at times. At the same time, it can be a great leveller. Riding a wave of success and having made it to the final of the DLF-IPL for the first time in five years, Kolkata Knight Riders has proved how a change of guard can bring in a sea change in its fortunes.

The team finished sixth in the inaugural year; last in the second year and again ended in the middle of the table in the third season. Many factors, including the spat between the coach and the team's iconic player, made more news than the team's success on the field.

The team's principal owner, Shah Rukh Khan, found out to his dismay achieving a Box Office on a sporting field was not commensurate with his image as a Bollywood superstar.

Having seen the cruel part of sport, the team owners went in for a makeover. To begin the process, a new low profile head coach in Dav Whatmore was brought in and on his advice things began to change towards professionalism. Sentiment gave way to rational thinking.

Gautam Gambhir was picked up in auction and was given the reins to decide the destiny of the team. A complete overhaul of foreign recruits, selective retaining of the domestic players and focused approach in the fourth season helped the team finish fourth, a result vindicated the pre-season planning.

KKR also had a new head to guide its fortune off the field. In came Venky Mysore, managing director and CEO, whose vision and pragmatism made a huge difference to the team.

The departure of Head coach Dav Whatmore at the beginning of Season V was a setback but KKR was quick to rope in another reputed coach in Trevor Bayliss who guided the Sydney Sixes to victory in the inaugural Australian Big Bash T20 league early this year.

True to his rating, Bayliss provided the right platform for Gambhir to blossom as a batsman. This helped the latter to carry forward the confidence to excel as the captain. The two made every playing member feel at home at KKR to strike a winning formula.

Gambhir led from the front with all astuteness to make the best use of the available resources this season. The team picked up 'mystery spinner' Sunil Narine, among others, and the West Indian justified the faith on him with a superlative performance that helped the team scale a new high.

Kolkata Knight Riders can be proud of the way it played throughout the championship. The team can take heart from the fact that it defeated every team in the league phase. This is the team's biggest triumph.

Champions are those who perform consistently under different conditions and opposition. KKR has proved it this year in much better fashion than most of the teams. That is why it is a win-win situation for KKR on and off the field.

saba@thehindu.co.in

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