Picture Credit: X
Former cricketer turned politician, Gautam Gambhir on Saturday, March 2 announced his decision to step away from politics in order to fulfil his other commitments. The World Cup winner, who has been closely associated with the sport since his retirement, took to X (formerly Twitter), urging the party head to “relieve” him of political duties.
“I have requested Hon’ble Party President @JPNadda ji to relieve me of my political duties so that I can focus on my upcoming cricket commitments. I sincerely thank Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji and Hon’ble HM @AmitShah ji for giving me the opportunity to serve the people. Jai Hind!” Gautam Gambhir captioned a post on X.
Focus on my upcoming commitments: Gambhir
However, this update from Gambhir comes with the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) approaching. The 2024 edition, which will kick start from March 22 with a clash between the reigning champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Chennai, Gambhir will join his former IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Check the top betting trends on the best betting sites in India and apps.
In IPL 2024, the 42-year-old will return to his former franchise, where he led them to two IPL titles, in 2012 and 2014. The BJP MP was roped in by the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise ahead of IPL 2024. As his message read, he aims to focus on the “upcoming cricket commitments” and has thus urged the BPJ Party President JP Nadda to “relieve” him of his political duties.
Speaking of the IPL franchise, KKR will begin their 2024 edition against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Kolkata on March 23. However, as per the half schedule released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Shreyas Iyer-led side will play their next two fixtures against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Bengaluru on March 29 and Delhi Capitals (DC) in Visakhapatnam on April 3, respectively.