New Delhi [India], March 26 (ANI): Former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis shared his impression of Gautam Gambhir as a leader, having played against him many times in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He said that Gambhir comes across as a 'villain' to opponents because of his intense competitiveness, but earns deep respect for it.

He highlighted that Gambhir doesn't try to be liked--instead, he focuses on high standards, discipline, and accountability as a leader. Du Plessis concluded that these qualities made his side, and three-time IPL winner Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), a strong side.

'My perspective of Gambhir is obviously very different from the guys who play with him. He's always the villain in the story when it comes to playing against him, but you respect that. And I think that's the key thing with Gautam Gambhir, he's so competitive. He does not worry for one second about being liked by anyone. His job as a leader is to set high standards and have accountability within the dressing room. So, from the outside, as a fellow leader playing against him, you want to beat him because of the way he carries himself as the opposition, but you respect the fact that he sets such high standards. That's what good leaders do, and he's created that since the day he started playing. If you look at his record, you have to take your hat off and say, from a leadership perspective, KKR with him was a stronger team,' Faf du Plessis said on JioStar.

Gambhir is a defining figure for the Kolkata Knight Riders, having reshaped the franchise with IPL title wins as captain in 2012 and 2014, and later returning as mentor to steer them to a third championship in 2024.

Following his success as a mentor with the Knight Rider in 2024, Gambhir left the team to become the Head Coach of the Indian national team. Gambhir continued to seal a legacy as one of India's most successful coaches.

Under him, India lifted the Champions Trophy 2025, the T20 Asia Cup Cup last year, and the T20 World Cup title earlier this month, taking one of the most formidable T20I sides of all time to their record-breaking second T20 World Cup title and making them the first to successfully defend the trophy and win the trophy at home.

IPL 2026 is set to kick off from March 28 with the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), set to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad, while KKR will begin their campaign against five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on March 29. (ANI)