CHENNAI:
Venkatesh Iyer was on strike and Kolkata Knight Riders dugout was up on their feet as they were just one run away from a thumping eight-wicket win in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final. The left-hander paddle-swept for a single and triggered wild celebrations in the KKR camp.
The entire side rushed out to celebrate with the two Iyers – Venkatesh and Shreyas – and the owners were happy in the stands as the wait for an IPL title finally ended. The cameras kept looking for mentor Gautam Gambhir who was busy giving bear hugs to the entire squad and had a big smile on his face. The DJ quickly switched to Chak De India and the party got underway for Kolkata Knight Riders – the champions of IPL 2024.
The IPL final has often been a repeat of Qualifier 1 and the title clash of the 2024 edition was no different. Both Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were the two most consistent sides in the league stages but the Playoffs are a different beast.
Even the best in the business have found it difficult to dominate the knockouts, and SRH certainly faced KKR’s heat this year. Not once, but twice as after Qualifier 1 they were outsmarted by Shreyas Iyer & Co. in what turned out to be the most lopsided final in IPL history.
SRH just didn’t have enough runs on the board and became the first side to get bowled out in the final, that too without facing 20 overs. 113 – SRH’s third-lowest total in the IPL and the lowest total in an IPL final – was never going to pose any challenge to this KKR unit and mere formalities were left to be completed in the second innings of the match.
There was a consolation wicket of Sunil Narine early in the innings but just one-way traffic after that as Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz put on 91 runs in lightning-quick time to put the side on home stretch.
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