Shreyas Iyer, the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, said his team “played like Invincibles” the entire season after leading them to their third IPL championship on Sunday.
At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, KKR dominated Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sunday’s IPL final, winning the lopsided title match by eight wickets.
“Very all-encompassing (the victory). For the entire season, we played like unbeatable teams. Right now, there’s so much to be grateful for. “This is what we expected of the team and each individual,” Shreyas declared at the presentation held after the game.
It isn’t easy to describe how they felt, yet they rose to the occasion. The entire performance has been faultless, which is pleasing. Right now, I am at a loss for words,” he continued.
“All we asked of ourselves was to support one another in any circumstance. Anticipating engaging in more competitive cricket,” he remarked.
The dapper right-hander saved the best praise for Mitchell Starc, whose two wickets in the Power Play robbed the Sunrisers of an early lead.
“You do realize that’s when all the major players get up? It was an intense game, and his performance off the field has been excellent. His work ethic has never displayed any signs of complacency. He raised his game at the appropriate moment,” he said.
The Mumbai player also showered praise on Andre Russell, the all-round player, for his three-wicket explosion in the championship game.
“That magic wand is with him. He is eager to secure wickets. It’s been easier because all the guys stood up when it was needed. The season has been perfect.”
SRH captain Pat Cummins said the Knight Riders outperformed his team that evening.
“I thought their bowling was exceptional. We were surpassed in skill. Nothing was given to us by them. It felt less like a 200-plus wicket and was a tough wicket. One hundred sixty would have allowed us to compete.”
Cummins also praised the crowd for cheering for SRH and his team for a beautiful IPL campaign.
“It was fantastic working with them, even though I hadn’t worked with many of the men before—an excellent team and personnel.
“We perform frequently in India, but it’s in front of a blue ocean. Thus, having the fans on our side sometimes was beneficial,” he continued.
Starc claimed he never felt overly burdened by the Rs 24.75 crore price tag and relished captaining the KKR bowling team in the 2024 Indian Premier League.
With a brilliant innings of 2/14 up front, Starc enabled KKR to defeat Sunrisers by eight wickets in the final round.
“The money has been discussed a lot. Now that I’m older and more seasoned, handling everything and spearheading the attack has been easier.
The left-arm pacer remarked, “It was a lot of fun for me personally, and we had an exciting attack.”
Starc praised the bowlers from KKR for improving.
“We were unsure what to anticipate, but the bowling unit showed all their abilities and produced balls that took wickets. I’m excited to watch how they work out,” he continued.
After an “awkward journey,” Starc claimed that standing on the podium felt fantastic.
“KKR had a fantastic evening. What a year. The trip was uncomfortable. Our squad was excellent.
The Australian added that, with everyone’s efforts, we continued to be such a stable team, and we were quite successful because of that.