Indian cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag led the chorus of congratulatory messages to Kolkata Knight Riders after they clinched their third Indian Premier League title.
KKR, who delivered a stellar performance, dismantled Sunrisers Hyderabad for 113 runs only and secured eight wickets win on Sunday
Reflecting on KKR’s dominant campaign, Tendulkar praised the team for their consistency and highlighted the pivotal role of their bowlers in the latter stages of the tournament.
“What a consistent performance by KKR! Their batters started the campaign with a bang, but it was the bowlers who took centre stage during the latter stages of the tournament. All their bowlers chipped in tonight, taking wickets and making the run chase relatively easy. Congratulations to all players and coaching staff on winning third trophy for their franchise! @GautamGambhir and @iamsrk,” Tendulkar wrote.
Sachin also commiserated with SRH, acknowledging their spirited performances throughout the season.
Sehwag, known for his poetic flair, congratulated KKR with a reference to Shah Rukh Khan’s famous dialogue: “Many congratulations KKR on a 3rd IPL title. As @iamsrk says [Shah Rukh Khan], Kisi cheez ko dil se chaho toh poori kaaynat use tumse milaane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai. Special credit to @ShreyasIyer15 [Shreyas Iyer] for leading side brilliantly in field and executing plans so well. It’s great to see earlier Nehra ji and now Gautam succeed as mentors and win their team championships. Well done. #IPL2024.”
Bollywood actress and Punjab Kings co-owner Preity Zinta also joined in, expressing her admiration for KKR’s achievement.
“Congratulations for such an incredible win and your third IPL title @KKRiders, @iamsrk, @iam_juhi. Hard Luck @SunRisers. You guys were great throughout the tournament.”
India fast bowler Mohammed Shami added his congratulations, emphasizing the strategic brilliance of Gautam Gambhir and the team’s hard work.
“Huge Congratulations to KKR on Winning the IPL trophy! Salute to SRK Spirit and Strategic brilliance of Gambhir. This has been an incredible journey, and I’m so proud of the hard work and dedication everyone put in. Well deserved champions.”
KKR’s $2.9 million signing Mitchell Starc played a crucial role in the final after he cleaned up SRH’s top order with 2 for 14 figures; it was just as important that all six Kolkata bowlers contributed towards bowling out the most aggressive batting team of this season for their lowest ever total in IPL final history.
Then Venkatesh Iyer led from front as he smashed unbeaten 52 off 26 balls leading them to victory with 10.3 overs remaining reaching a score of 114-2 sealing their victory alongside IPL title.
