Nitish Rana has come out in strong support of his mentor in the most recent alteration in the continuing story of former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper and mentor Gautam Gambhir. Rana responded to Manoj Tiwary’s recent scathing attack that Gambhir’s success at KKR was primarily the result of public relations by calling the accusations unfounded and motivated by personal fears. Tiwary called out the Indian head coach as a “hypocrite” for taking all the credit for IPL wins in 2012 and 2014. Apart from this, current KKR pacer Harshit Rana also supported Gambhir’s cause.
Nitish Rana comes in Gautam Gambhir’s support
“Criticism should be based on facts, not personal insecurities. Gauti Bhaiyya is one of the most selfless players I’ve ever met. He shoulders responsibility in times of distress like no other. Performance doesn’t need any PR. The trophies speak for themselves,” Rana wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Tiwary’s comments had stirred controversy after India’s 3-1 series loss in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), where Gambhir’s defensive tactics came under fire. Tiwary, who played under Gambhir’s captaincy during KKR’s maiden IPL title win in 2012, accused the former skipper of taking undue credit for the team’s success. In contrast, Rana—a key figure in KKR’s recent IPL triumph in 2024—credited Gambhir for his growth as a player and lauded his leadership.
Harshit Rana also backs Gambhir
“Criticising someone due to personal insecurities is not good. Gautibhaiya is someone who thinks more for others than himself. He always backs players when they are down and put them in the limelight when things go our way. He has shown this on multiple occasions. He has a lot of knowledge on how to turn games in your favour,” wrote Harshit on Instagram.
What did Manoj Tiwary say on Gautam Gambhir?
“Gambhir didn’t guide KKR to the title single-handedly as we all performed as a unit,” Tiwary said. “Jacques Kallis, Sunil Narine, and I all contributed to the cause. But who took the credit? There is an environment and PR that allows him to take all the credit.” Tiwary didn’t stop at questioning Gambhir’s IPL legacy. He went a step further, calling the current India team head coach a “hypocrite” and accusing him of surrounding himself with people who won’t challenge his authority. In particular, Tiwary took aim at the coaching staff selections made under Gambhir’s influence, alleging favouritism.
“Gautam Gambhir is a hypocrite. He doesn’t do what he says. The captain (Rohit Sharma) is from Mumbai, Abhishek Nayar is from Mumbai. Rohit has been pushed to the forefront. There is no one to speak for Jalaj Saxena. He performs well but keeps quiet,” Tiwary said.
Nitish Rana, who previously played domestic cricket for Delhi, has been under Gambhir’s tutelage for years. Gambhir, a stalwart of Delhi’s domestic cricket as well, apart from his India heroics, has guided Nitish massively. Rana made his IPL debut for the Mumbai Indians (MI) and had two decent seasons before moving to KKR. Now at the recent IPL 2025 mega auction, Rana was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs 4.20 crore.
Nitish Rana record at KKR
| Series | Inns | 50s | 4s | 6s | HS | Runs | Avg | S/R |
| 2018 | 15 | 1 | 26 | 14 | 59 | 304 | 23.38 | 131.03 |
| 2019 | 11 | 3 | 27 | 21 | 85* | 344 | 34.4 | 146.38 |
| 2020 | 14 | 3 | 43 | 12 | 87 | 352 | 25.14 | 138.58 |
| 2021 | 16 | 2 | 34 | 17 | 80 | 383 | 29.46 | 121.97 |
| 2022 | 14 | 2 | 29 | 22 | 57 | 361 | 27.77 | 143.82 |
| 2023 | 14 | 3 | 39 | 20 | 75 | 413 | 31.77 | 140.96 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 42 | 21 | 123.53 |
| Overall (7) | 86 | 14 | 203 | 107 | 87 | 2199 | 28.19 | 136.33 |
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