"KKR ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi Namumkin hai" - Cricket fraternity reacts as Kolkata Knight Riders defeat SRH to win IPL 2024

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lifted the Indian Premier League (IPL) title for the third time in the tournament’s history after defeating SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final on Sunday, May 26, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Men in Purple ended their trophy drought by lifting their third title 10 years after their second IPL win in 2014.

The IPL 2024 final turned out to be a one-sided affair, as after being asked to bowl first, KKR's bowlers restricted SRH to a paltry 113 in 18.3 overs. SRH’s batting unit was left clueless as KKR's bowlers put up a masterclass. The batters had little work to carry out during the chase as they finished off the game in the 11th over.

The cricket fraternity lauded KKR’s dominance from the start of the season till the end, and lavished praise on their title-winning campaign. Here’s how they reacted:

“Right from the auctions to the season, big man @gautamgambhir took some big calls and look how they paid off. Congratulations to @kkriders for 🏆 number 3,” wrote Mohammad Kaif.

“Congratulations to Shreyas Iyer and the Kolkata Knight Riders who have become deserving champions of #IPL2024. Just a few tweaks to their lineup from years gone by and it has worked wonders. A repeat of 2012 at chepauk. Hard luck to SRH who were brilliant in the tournament but unfortunately 2nd best on the day,” Abhinav Mukund tweeted.

“Congratulations to @KKRiders on being crowned @IPL 2024 champions 🏆 They've been the standout team all thru the season. Kudos to @SunRisers for a stellar run - but the better team prevailed today. Special shoutout to @GautamGambhir for his fearless mentorship, and to the King of Hearts ♥️, @iamsrk for his success in both cinema and cricket this year! #IPL2024 #KKR #SRH #KKRvsSRH,” said Yuvraj Singh.

Former India cricketer S Badrinath wrote:

“Deserving winners. Congratulations @KKRiders on the complete dominance throughout the tournament. Kudos to the team #IPLFinal."

“Congratulations to KKR, the entire team, and the management on winning the Tata IPL trophy 2024! Very well played @KKRiders. Hard luck, Hyderabad @SunRisers. You put in a great effort,” wrote Amit Mishra.

“Congratulations @KKRiders @ShreyasIyer15 @GautamGambhir @abhisheknayar1 #bharatarun #chandupandit When you have solid bowling group with 6 wicket taking options with two all rounders in it you will win the trophy 🏆,” Irfan Pathan said.

Meanwhile, former India and Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Suresh Raina wrote:

“Congrats to the best team and deserving champion of #IPL2O24 @KKRiders. Well done @SunRisers for an exceptional season as well. @iamsrk bhai party pathan ke ghar pe hai ya Chennai mein?”

Harbhajan Singh wrote:

“KKR ❤️ won it like a Don 💥💥💥💥 @KKRiders congratulations KING KHAN and whole KKR family .. Kehna padega KKR ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi Namunkin hai @iamsrk What a Team. In the end Ammi KKR ❤️❤️❤️ 🏆”

“Absolutely brilliant by #KKR. Best team in the tournament by a mile. That’s how they played the finals too. #IPL2O24,” opined cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra.

“Congratulations @KKRiders🏆👏The most complete and consistent team of the tournament.🙌 #IPL2024 #IPLFinal #KKRvSRH,” tweeted Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach Lasith Malinga.

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KKR clinch their 3rd IPL title in style

After being tasked to chase a mere 114-run target, KKR’s star opener Sunil Narine was dismissed cheaply in just the second over, courtesy of SRH skipper Pat Cummins. Even after the early setback, top order batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Venkatesh Iyer found the momentum and stitched together a 91-run stand for the second wicket.

While the wicketkeeper-batter walked back to the pavilion in the ninth over, nothing much was left to do in what turned out to be a one-sided affair. Venkatesh Iyer scored the winning runs for KKR and finished with an unbeaten half-century (52* off 26) as the Shreyas Iyer-led side won the summit clash by eight wickets and 57 balls to spare.