Year-ender 2024: How Kolkata Knight Riders pulled off their third title in IPL 2024. The complete story behind the journey of KKR.
On May 26, 2024, Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) delivered a sensational knockout punch to Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final. They won the game by 8 wickets and powered the franchise to their third IPL title. It was a befitting victory for those who had been patiently waiting for someone to stand up and challenge Cummins’ wit and extraordinary cricketing brilliance.
The Aussie skipper had been a thorn in the side of the Indian supporters following his unbelievable heroics in the 2023 World Cup Final. But Shreyas completely flipped the script in the Grand Finale by putting an end to Cummins’s dominating run as a skipper on the back of a crushing win. Let’s find out how the KKR skipper went about scripting one of the most memorable campaigns for the Kolkata-based franchise in the 2024 season.
Gautam Gambhir’s role
If there is one person who has had the most defining impact on KKR’s triumphant title win last season, then it is none other than Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir truly deserves the credit for KKR’s dream run in the 2024 IPL season. His influence as a head coach paid dividends for the Kolkata-based outfit.
It was indeed the correct move from the KKR think tank to include Gambhir in the mix of things. In his playing days, Gambhir had a lot of success with the franchise as a captain. Previously, KKR won two titles under his leadership and Gambhir knew exactly what was required to help KKR get to their third IPL title win.
Under his mentorship, KKR lost as little as three matches, the fewest by a team in any IPL season, along with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2008. He played a key role in instilling the fighting instinct in the team which had been lacking for quite a few seasons. The team had almost all bases covered and grew from strength to strength as the season progressed.
After all, no one understood the team any better than he did. Gambhir was the key figure in driving KKR to their second IPL title win in 2014. That was the first time his tactical brilliance as the then-KKR skipper came to light.
Gambhir was also reported to have a very healthy relationship with the former KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer. The healthy bond between the captain and the coach prevailed throughout the entirety of the series and the team was able to execute their plans precisely with a lot of success.
Shreyas was indeed a fan of Gambhir’s leadership and admitted that his insights helped KKR tailor their strategies against different opponents thus contributing significantly to the team’s momentum. Furthermore, he also showered praises on Gambhir's tactical brilliance on the field and highlighted the profound knowledge and strategic expertise he possessed. Unlike other coaches, Gambhir’s tactical brilliance was second to none when compared to his predecessors and his role proved to be absolutely imperative in propelling KKR to new heights last season.
Read More: IPL 2024: KKR reaped rich rewards courtesy Gautam Gambhir's immense belief in 'winning mentality'
X-factor: Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy
With so much talk around Gambhir’s excellence as a coach, it would be unfair not to reflect on Shreyas Iyer’s brilliance as a captain. At a personal level, Shreyas was struggling with form and things were not going well with him following his exclusion from the BCCI’s central contract list. But despite facing such adversaries, Shreyas overcame all odds to deliver a groundbreaking performance, both as a skipper and as a specialist batter for KKR last season.
As a captain, Shreyas shone with the bat as well, scoring 351 runs in 15 matches at an average of 39.00. He was responsible for getting the best out of every individual in the team. Under his leadership, the team performed fearlessly like near invincibles, a notion echoed by many of his teammates including the likes of Mitchell Starc and Sunil Narine. The team hit the ground running from game number one and never really looked back since then. Shreyas fostered a positive environment in the dressing room where every individual supported one another irrespective of any situation.
Moreover, the added support he received from Gambhir made his task a lot easier. Speaking after the game, Shreyas attributed the team’s flawless run to Gambhir and expressed that he has not just been a mentor but also a leader in every department for them. He ensured that every batter or bowler knew his game plans and how to execute them under pressure.
In the all-important grand Finale, it all came together for KKR. Their bowlers fired on all cylinders and ripped through the entire SRH batting lineup in a flash with Andre Russell emerging as the pick of the bowlers with three wickets to his name.
In the end, SRH were demolished for only 113, the lowest score achieved by any team in an IPL final. It later turned out to be a stroll in the park for the KKR batters as Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Venkatesh Iyer blasted their way through to help KKR complete a swift run chase in about 11 overs.
Architects of KKR’s title-winning campaign
Amidst KKR’s glorious IPL campaign, several architects emerged throughout the course of the season. While the coach and the skipper did the bulk of the heavy lifting, several high-profile players put their hands up time and again to deliver sparkling performances for the Kolkata-based outfit last season.
Andre Russell had gone hot and cold with both bat and ball for the past few seasons. The marquee all-rounder was not at his destructive best and his form leading into the season was of primary concern for the franchise. But his revival in form changed the dynamics and the fortune for his side. With the bat, Russell struck at a lethal strike rate of 185 and smashed his best score of 64* last season. Besides, he left a tremendous impact with the ball and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker for KKR, averaging 15.52 with 19 wickets to his name.
Russell’s counterpart, Sunil Narine, also starred with his all-round exploits. He became the first player to bag three MVP awards, surpassing the previous best of Shane Watson and Andre Russell, who won twice each. He had a sparkling run last season and finished with a staggering 488 runs, averaging 34.85 which included a scintillating century (109 off 56) against RR in a losing cause. Moreover, he also had a devastating impact with the ball and averaged nearly 22 with 17 wickets to his name.
Venkatesh Iyer’s dominance with the bat at the top of the order was yet another force that shaped the fortune of the IPL champs. The tall bashing all-rounder was well renowned for his explosive style of play early on in the innings. He etched his name in the record books by slamming a 24-ball fifty in the 2024 IPL final which is currently the joint-fastest IPL fifty in the final. Venkatesh churned 370 runs at an enormous strike rate of 158.79 consistently throughout the entire season.
Amongst the runs, Shreyas Iyer was not too far behind either. Despite his brittle form at the time, Shreyas played a few notable innings and concluded his campaign on a formidable note averaging nearly 40 with two half-centuries under his belt.
Further on, it’s also imperative to throw light on Varun Chakravarthy's extraordinary exploits with the ball. He finished as the second-highest wicket-taker last season, accumulating 21 wickets at a stunning average of 19.14 which included his best figures of 3-16. It was indeed a moment of redemption for the tall spinner.
Varun had long faded away from the grand scheme of things following a string of disappointing performances since the 2021 IPL season. But in the previous season, he emerged as a potent weapon in KKR’s spin-bowling arsenal. He picked up wickets at key intervals most notably during the middle overs whenever the opposition was looking to gather momentum.
Over time, these timely impactful contributions helped the franchise pave the way for a monumental title win. KKR have undoubtedly been one of the most successful operating teams in the history of IPL. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are the other two IPL franchises to win more titles (five) apart from KKR who currently have three under their belt. With Shreyas out of the picture, the new-look KKR side will be hungry for glory once again, potentially under a new leadership this time around.
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