Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday continued their dominating show in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) as they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai by wickets to lift the trophy. The bowlers put on a clinical show to fold SRH for just 113, the lowest-ever score in an IPL final, before Venkatesh Iyer, with his aggressive batting style and impeccable timing, smashed a fiery unbeaten half-century to wrap up the chase in just 10.3 overs for Kolkata.
Following the win, former India batter Ambati Rayudu, in his congratulatory message for the Shreyas Iyer-led side, took a fresh jibe at Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Speaking to Star Sports after the match at the Chepauk, Rayudu highlighted the importance of collective contribution, saying that individual milestones like winning the Orange Cap do not guarantee the IPL title.
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Notably, Kohli won the Orange Cap after scoring 741 runs in 15 innings at an average of 61.75. He smashed one hundred and five fifties in the tournament at a strike rate in excess of 154. This was the second time he won the award for becoming the leading run-getter in an IPL season. In 2016, he had scored a record 973 runs to claim the award for the first time.
{{/usCountry}}Notably, Kohli won the Orange Cap after scoring 741 runs in 15 innings at an average of 61.75. He smashed one hundred and five fifties in the tournament at a strike rate in excess of 154. This was the second time he won the award for becoming the leading run-getter in an IPL season. In 2016, he had scored a record 973 runs to claim the award for the first time.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, four players in the Kolkata squad scored in excess of 350 runs in the IPL 2024 season, with opener Sunil Narine leading the chart with his tally of 488 runs in 15 games. Phil Salt made 435 runs, Venkatesh amassed 370, while captain Shreyas scored 354 for Kolkata. However, for RCB, it
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“Congratulations to the KKR team for really standing up for stalwarts like Narine, Russell and Starc and also contribute their share in the team's win. That’s how a team wins the IPL. We have seen this over the years. It’s not the Orange Cap that wins you the IPL but it is the contributions like 300 runs each (of many players),” Rayudu said while talking to Star Sports.
This was the second time Rayudu took a sly dig at RCB after their heartbreaking exit from IPL 2024 following a loss against Rajasthan Royals in Eliminator earlier last week in Ahmedabad. The loss marked an end to their entertaining six-match winning streak that saw them jump from the bottom of the table during the first half of the season to finish fourth in the table.
"My heart truly goes out to all the rcb supporters who have passionately supported the team over the years. If only the management and the leaders had the teams interests ahead of individual milestones .. rcb would have won multiple titles. Just remember how many fantastic players have been let go off. Force your management to bring players who will put teams interests first. A great new chapter can start from the mega auction," Rayudu had written on X, formerly Twitter.