Why KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir apologized to Brendon McCullum? Reason Revealed

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Kolkata Knight Riders' mentor Gautam Gambhir is known for his cutthroat nature. The former India player is a straightforward person who is known for raising his voice.

But when Gambhir makes a mistake, the former player is the first one to acknowledge that. And the mentor recently recalled one of those instances, when he apologized to his former KKR teammate Brendon McCullum before an IPL final.

Gambhir led KKR to two IPL titles during his tenure. But before the IPL 2012 Final against Chennai Super Kings, then KKR captain Gautam Gambhir had to take a tough decision.

Before the summit clash, Indian pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji got injured. And that forced Gambhir to bring in Australian pacer Brett Lee in place of Brendon McCullum. And after taking the decision, Gambhir apologized to the ex-Kiwi star in front of the whole team.

In a recent video posted by Gambhir on Instagram, the KKR mentor can be seen speaking about the same in an interview.

"You can never have ego if you want to be a true leader," the caption of the Instagram post wrote.

"Before leaving for that final at Chepauk, I actually said sorry to Brendon McCullum in front of the entire team. I said 'I am really really sorry I had to drop you. The reason is not your performance, the reason is our combination.' No one wanted to do that. But I had the courage to apologize to him in front of the whole team. Nothing wrong in apologizing," Gambhir said in that interview.

"Had I not apologized in front of the entire team, somewhere deep inside my heart, I would have had that guilt that I have not communicated well enough. Leadership is not only about taking appreciation or shutting yourself off or taking credit. It's about doing this stuff as well. Sometimes it's awkward but that's how you grow as a leader," he further added.

Despite dropping McCullum, KKR went on to win the Final. Manvinder Bisla played a brilliant knock in the Final and then Manoj Tiwary hit the winning runs for the Knight Riders with two balls to spare.