Kolkata Knight Riders win third IPL title

KKR comprehensively beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final on Sunday, winning by eight wickets inside 11 overs

Chennai: Sunrisers Hyderabad 113, Kolkata Knight Riders 114-2 - Kolkata Knight Riders win by eight wickets

Kolkata Knight Riders have won the 2024 Indian Premier League, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in the final.

Knight Riders, who won nine out of 14 group games to top the round-robin phase, were in charge from the moment that Mitchell Starc cleaned up Sunrisers opener Abhishek Sharma with a beauty that curved away from the left-hander.

Travis Head, so destructive at times during this campaign, nicked his first ball behind in the following over, and Hyderabad never recovered, unable to unleash any of the carnage synonymous with Pat Cummins' side through this season.

"It was comprehensive today," said Shreyas Iyer, the victorious captain, who watched his side restrict Hyderabad to 113 in 18.3 overs, before completing a dominant win in style inside 11 overs.

"This is what we demanded from the team and every individual and they stood up," he added.

"It's hard to describe what we are feeling right now. We've played like invincibles throughout the season and there is so much to cherish right now."

^{KKR won their third IPL (Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)}

Sunrisers' was the lowest score in an IPL final, with Andre Russell excellent for his three-wicket haul, backed up by Starc, vindicating the enormous fee his signature commanded ahead of the season.

It was left to Venkatesh Iyer (52*) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (39) to finish the job, after Sunil Narine had hit his first ball for six as a pinch-hitting opener. He was out to the second ball he faced, falling to Cummins.

"I've loved how brave our guys were this season in a high-pressure environment like the IPL," said the Australia captain. "We took the game on, and the fans seemed to enjoy it back in Hyderabad. It was a great season."

For KKR, though, this was a third title and a first in a decade. "It was an upward journey throughout the IPL but we've had a fantastic squad of players and staff to get everyone peaking for the backend of the tournament," said Starc. "We've been such a consistent side, we haven't had one or two people stand out, there has been contributions from everyone."

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