Time to play fearless cricket: Gambhir

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir today said the defending champions tag would not put any pressure on his team, which would look to play fearless cricket when it takes on Delhi Daredevils in the IPL opener here tomorrow.

"We've got the monkey off our back. Now is the time to go out there and play fearless cricket," Gambhir said on the eve of the match today.

"Being the defending champions does not add to the pressure, it only gives us some extra confidence. KKR is a very popular team off the cricket field as well."

Asked whether he was looking at IPL VI as a platform to stake claim for national selection after the recent axing, Gambhir said, "I see this IPL as being the defending champions. I don't play for individual things. I play for a team called KKR and I play as the defending champions nothing more than that."

Gambhir reiterated the team mantra and said the absence of New Zealand explosive opener Brendon McCullum, nursing a hamstring problem, would not hurt the team's cause.

"We've got a lot of quality in the dressing room. Now is the time to go out there and step up to the opportunity," he said about McCullum who has been ruled out for KKR's opening match.

Delhi will miss out on Morne Morkel as the South African is representing his domestic side Titans in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge.

On Morkel, Gambhir said: "We don't want to talk about how X, Y, Z player would be. We don't think about particular individuals. We're playing a game of cricket and it's a team sport.