Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a dismal performance in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, finishing a lowly seventh both times. However, in the ongoing 2024 season, they've undergone a remarkable turnaround. They secured the top spot in the league stage and became the first team to qualify for the playoffs and danced their way into the IPL 2024 final by belting SRH in the Qualifier 1.
Fans have been quick to credit mentor Gautam Gambhir for KKR's drastic improvement. Gambhir, who previously led KKR to IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, rejoined the team as a mentor this season. Additionally, star batsman Shreyas Iyer returned as captain after missing the 2023 season due to injury. The combination of these two, along with head coach Chandrankant Pandit, has been credited with KKR's success.
Ahead of the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Iyer addressed the media. He was asked about leading two different teams (including Delhi Capitals in 2020) to the IPL final and Gautam Gambhir's influence on the current KKR squad. Iyer came up with a smart reply on his captaincy and told media that it's for them to decide where he stands as a skipper because end of the day they are the one who created the hype. He also acknowledged Gambhir's significant contribution while offering a playful counterpoint to the media's focus on him.
“The hype is definitely created by you guys. Where I stand is definitely upon you. But talking about Gautam bhai, he has got immense knowledge about how the game is played, has won two titles previously with KKR, and his strategies have been spot on in terms of what we have to execute against our opponents. He adds a lot of cream to the team and hopefully we continue the same momentum in the final,” Shreyas said at the pre-match press-conference.
This isn't the first time KKR will be battling for the IPL trophy. This marks their fourth time reaching the finals, with the most recent one being in 2021 where they fell short against Chennai Super Kings. KKR seem to have a slight advantage going into the match against SRH. They dominated the league stage, finishing at the top of the table with a strong record of nine wins in just 14 games. Interestingly, they've already beaten the 2016 champions, SRH, twice this season. Their first win came in the season opener at home on March 23rd, a nail-biting encounter they secured by a mere four runs.
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