After playing a critical role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title winning campaign in the TATA IPL 2024, Vaibhav Arora is excited to be back in the Purple and Gold for upcoming 2025 season. The right-arm pacer bagged 11 wickets in 10 matches in the 17th edition of the TATA IPL, causing all sorts of problems for the batters with his ability to swing the new ball. Now back with the Knight Riders, he is delighted to return the franchise that feels like family.
"It was special to be back with KKR. I’ve been with the Knight Riders since the last four seasons and there is an emotional attachment with the franchise. It feels like my own family. So, when KKR picked me again, I was relieved to go back to the team I won the title with last year. I didn’t want to play for any other team", he stated.
The 27-year-old has been putting in the hard work behind-the-scenes, focusing on expanding his horizons to be more than a new ball bowler. Coming off an impressive domestic season, he is determined to contribute in all stages of the game.
"I did well in the powerplay in 2024, and I'll take confidence from that. However, I have worked on my death bowling, and I want to be as effective as possible even at that stage of the game. I’ve focused on my slower ones, yorkers and other variations even in red ball cricket. I'll try to bring that same execution to white ball cricket to try and do well at any stage of the game," he added.
Working with Bharat Arun, the former Indian and current KKR bowling coach has played an integral role in shaping Vaibhav’s evolvement in last few years.
Crediting his coach’s impact, he mentioned, “I’ve worked with Bharat sir in the last couple of years, this will be the third year. The way he shares his experiences and learnings has helped me become a better bowler each year. So hopefully, I’ll do even better under his guidance this year and try to make the team win.
Vaibhav has also formed a formidable partnership with Harshit Rana, with the two running riot as a deadly duo. The two also share a great camaraderie on and off the field, and are excited to be reunited once more.
“This is our third year together. We didn’t get a chance to play together initially but when we did, we had done well for the team. Even last year when we won the trophy, as a partnership, we worked well together from both ends. When you’re bowling in partnerships, there’s a different relation you create off the field as well. This year he was retained, and I was bought in the auction. It feels like the brothers have reunited again.”
Looking forward to the kind of pressure and responsibility he will shoulder for the team this season, Vaibhav reckoned, “There is an expectation from the fans, and trying to match those expectations is always fun. Winning the trophy once is amazing but the real challenge is to continue doing that season after season. It’s a different kind of challenge and it will be enjoyable in those circumstances.”
Vaibhav also shed some light on what sets the Knight Riders apart from the other teams and his experience of playing in front of the home crowd at Eden Gardens. “The support we get from the fans in Kolkata is our strength. We want to play for them and live up to their expectations because they motivate us so much. We won the trophy last season and we will try to do the same this year,” he concluded.
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