In a dramatic and emotional finale, ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup-bound West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell delivered a game-changing performance to lead Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title.
Russell’s crucial spell of bowling dismantled Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), paving the way for an eight-wicket victory at the Chidambaram Stadium yesterday.
The 36-year-old Jamaican star grabbed three wickets for 19 runs from 2.3 overs, spearheading the destruction of SRH’s batting line-up. SRH, opting to bat first, were skittled out for a mere 113 in 18.3 overs in the IPL final.
“I do not have the words to explain how I feel right now,” Russell said, holding back tears of joy. “It means so much to me. With all the fans that have been supporting us right throughout from the start of the season, and we, the players, go out game after game and make sure we get the job done. For many of us, it’s the first time we are celebrating an IPL title victory, and I am happy that all of us remained very disciplined and wanted the same goal. This franchise has done so much for me, even helping me with my fitness and everything I have gone through in recent times, and it is a big gift from all of us to them, so I am happy.”
Supporting cast
World Cup-bound Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc set the tone for SRH’s lowest total in an IPL final, taking two for 14 from three overs and earning the Player-of-the-Match award. Fellow pacer Harshit Rana contributed with two for 24 from his four overs, while retired West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine delivered a miserly spell, conceding only 16 runs from his four overs and adding further pressure on SRH.
SRH captain, Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins, top-scored with 24 while batting at nine, and South Africa T20 World Cup captain Aiden Markram added 20. Despite their efforts, SRH’s batting line-up struggled to build any substantial partnerships.
In reply, KKR’s chase was spearheaded by Venkatesh Iyer and World Cup-bound Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Narine, who opened the batting, fell early for six, but Iyer and Gurbaz shared a pivotal 91-run partnership for the second wicket.
Gurbaz was trapped lbw by Shahbaz Ahmed for 39, leaving KKR needing only 12 runs. Iyer remained unbeaten on 52, guiding KKR to victory with 57 balls to spare – marking the largest margin of victory in an IPL final.
Team effort
Russell credited the team’s disciplined performance for their success. “All the bowlers did their job. I think we kept it as simple as possible. In the first couple of overs, we realized [the pitch] was on the slower side, and we used our cutters well, but we did not overuse them. We mixed it up, and that is what threw the [SRH] batsmen off, and though we delivered a couple of bad balls here and there, I was very happy to chase 114 any day,” he said.
This victory adds to KKR’s previous IPL titles won in 2012 and 2014, solidifying their legacy in the league.
