Chennai: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players highlighted the contributions of mentor Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar for their efforts in moulding the team into a champion outfit that outplayed Sunrisers Hyderabad in the summit clash of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) and to lift its third trophy here on Sunday.
KKR crushed Hyderabad by eight wickets in a completely one-sided final after bowling out their opponents for 113, the lowest-ever total in an IPL final. This was the second occasion when they played the IPL final at MA Chidambaram Stadium and won it after their first title win in 2012.
All-rounder Andre Russell, who has been with the franchise since the 2014 edition, was lost for words as he tried to hold back his tears. "No words to describe. It means so much. I am happy that all of us were very disciplined and worked towards one goal. This franchise has done a lot for me. It's a big gift from all of us to them," Russell said.
Pacer Harshit Rana found it tough to describe the feeling of being IPL champions. "I cannot tell how happy I am," Harshit, who picked up two wickets in the final, said after the triumph.
Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarathy, who has had the best season (21) of his IPL career with his spin bowling, lauded Nayar's contributions. "All I can think right now is of the person who built this Indian core: Abhishek Nayar."
All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who played two brilliant knocks against SRH in both Qualifier 1 (51 off 28 balls) and Finals (52 off 26 balls), also mentioned Nayar's role in the team's success. "Really happy with it. As Varun mentioned, Abhishek Nayar deserves all the credit in the world. Some contributions go unnoticed, I want to make sure they don't. This guy deserves all the credit in the world for the way he has been working for this franchise. This win is for the fans who turned up year after year and waited for 10 years," Venkatesh said.
"I want to share one short story that when GG Bhaiya (Gautam Gambhir) was named the mentor. I sent him a long message as I was really happy. But he replied saying, 'Thank you but I would be happy if we stand at the podium with the trophy in our hands'. "Today is that day and I will never forget that message," said Nitish Rana, who led KKR in the absence of Shreyas Iyer last season.
Rinku Singh said, "My dream of seven years is complete. Finally I will lift the trophy. I am proud of my whole team and GG sir. It was God's plan."
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