Skipper Gautam Gambhir's three Bengali words "ami Kolkatar chhele" (I am son of the city) won the hearts of fans gathered to welcome 'home' the Knight Riders who beat two-time defending champions Chennai Super Kings to win their maiden title in five appearances.
"Thank you very much for your support," Gambhir added as the crowd danced to the drum beats when the team members arrived around 10.30pm last night.
Venky Mysore, the CEO of the Knight Riders, and coach Trevor Bayliss were among those on the crowded makeshift dais just outside the VIP Gate number five.
"I just want to say that we are very, very proud of the team. They have done a fantastic job under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir. I want to thank you all for your support. I also want to thank our head coach Trevor Bayliss and Vijay Dahiya... He is hiding there, our assistant coach," Mysore said.
As many as 54 passengers on the Chennai-Calcutta flight were from the KKR contingent, including the families of some of the players and the support staff. The foreign players in the team didn't board the flight.
Team owners Shah Rukh Khan, Jay Mehta and Juhi Chawla arrived around 11.45 pm as they were thrilled at the crowd response late into the night.
Chawla, dressed in a maroon top and white trousers, said, "It feels really special to see you people here every time. It's because of your support we could win the title. I thank Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) for the grand welcome."
Shah Rukh Khan also joined in and said, "From today, KKR belongs to Bengal...Thank you very much for your support. We're extremely happy to see all of you here." MORE
