Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lifted their third trophy in the Indian Premier League with a crushing eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a completely one-sided final at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
Having lost the toss, KKR produced a clinical effort with the ball to dismiss SRH for 113, the lowest-ever total in an IPL title clash. KKR chased down the target of 114 with as many as 57 balls to spare.
Venkatesh Iyer was the top scorer with an unbeaten 52 runs followed by Rahmanullah Gurbaz who scored 39 runs for KKR.
Earlier, SRH were all out for 113 runs in 18.3 overs. Skipper Pat Cummins was the highest scorer with 24 runs for SRH. KKR’s Andre Russell scalped 3 wickets and Mitchell Starc was declared Player of the Match.
This unfortunate total broke the previous record held by Chennai Super Kings, who scored 125/9 in the 2013 final against Mumbai Indians. Throughout their innings, SRH struggled to find their rhythm and it was clear that they were off their game.
KKR showed why they've been the most consistent team this season. Mitchell Starc, their top bowler who had faced criticism earlier, delivered an outstanding performance when it was needed most. He made an impact right from the first over, taking out Abhishek Sharma for just 2 runs with a superb delivery that moved away late.
KKR's chase was straightforward. They quickly reached 75/1 in the Powerplay, putting the match out of SRH's reach early on. Even though Sunil Narine was dismissed cheaply, Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz maintained an aggressive pace. Their powerful hitting overwhelmed the SRH bowlers, and KKR achieved the target in just 9.4 overs, demonstrating their dominance.
