Kolkata wins IPL 2024, becomes champions for the 3rd time
Source – Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders defeated the Orange Army Sunrisers in a one-sided clash on Sunday. KKR proved too strong for Pat Cummins and his boys. After winning the toss on Sunday, Pat Cummins chose to bat first. The hard-hitting Sunrisers batting unit wanted to put a good total on the board and put KKR under pressure in the finale, but nothing went in their favor in Chennai. The KKR bowlers were all over them, and as a result, SRH was bowled out for just 113 runs, which was also the lowest total in any IPL final. None of the batters got going, with Pat Cummins scoring the highest with 24 runs. In response, KKR chased down the total in the 11th over. Venkatesh Iyer scored a handsome 52 off 26 balls, taking the team home alongside his skipper.
With this victory, KKR became three-time champions after 2012 and 2014, becoming the second most successful franchise after CSK and MI, who have won the title five times.
Things were moving in the right direction for KKR right before the auction. The return of their OG skipper Gautam Gambhir as mentor of the squad not only boosted their confidence but also changed the ambience of the dressing room. Gambhir started with his tricks from the auction, going after Mitchell Starc for a whopping amount of 24.75 crores. GG and Starc were initially trolled for this decision, but Starc proved his mettle and worth in the later stages of the league. In both knockout matches, Starc dismissed an opener in his very first over, which did not allow SRH to score freely and put up a massive total. Gambhir also brought back Sunil Narine to the top of the order, almost a decade later. This move will surely be considered one of the smartest by any franchise, which makes them champions. Narine ended among the top run-getters in the league, scoring 488 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 180. This time, Narine not only played little cameos but batted like a proper opener, even scoring a hundred against the Rajasthan Royals. His contributions alongside Philip Salt at the top of the order certainly laid the foundation for KKR this season.
Shreyas Iyer, who lost his BCCI central contract just before the start of the league, has once again caught fans’ attention after leading his side to win the title. Shreyas was one of the skippers who had many resources in his armory, but he, as a leader, knew how to utilize them. He used his openers to their potential and shuffled his middle order to bring the best out of them, and his finishers, Russell, Rinku, and Raman, finished well for him when needed. He also rotated his bowlers well according to the need.
Overall, it was quite a dominating season for KKR, and they truly deserved the title.
