Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Andre Russell© X (formerly Twitter)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir has showered big praise on star all-rounder Sunil Narine who helped the franchise win their Indian Premier League (IPL) title last week. Narine was named ‘Most Valuable Player’ of IPL 2024 as KKR defeated SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final last Sunday. Under Gambhir’s mentorship, Narine regained his magical touch, scoring 488 runs and picking up 17 wickets.

In a recent interaction, Gambhir opened up on his camaraderie with Narine, and recalled the latter’s early days in the KKR camp. Gambhir was the captain of KKR when they won the IPL in 2012 and 2014, respectively, with Narine playing a crucial role in both the triumphs.

“Me and Narine are similar characters, and so are our emotions. I still remember that when Narine first came into the IPL in 2012, it was in Jaipur, and we were going for practice, and I told him to come join for lunch. He was so shy that he did not say a single word during lunch, and the first question that he eventually asked was, ‘Can I bring my girlfriend to the IPL?,” Gambhir told Sportskeeda in an interview.

Gambhir suggested that Narine and him are similar persons, and also termed the all-rounder as a brother.

“He was so quiet that first season, but now, we can talk about anything. He is like a brother to me. I don’t see him as a friend, I don’t see him as a teammate, I see him as a brother. If I need him or he needs me, I think we are just one call away, that is the sort of relationship that we have built. We do not get excited much, we do not show too many emotions, we are not flamboyant, we just do the job and come back,” he added.

Gambhir insisted that Narine has always been KKR’s ‘MVP’.

“What can I say about him? Even if he didn’t win the ‘most valuable player award’ he would have still been the MVP. You are looking at his stats but he was KKR’s MVP even before the season got underway. The world has seen his talent as an all-rounder and i’m sure that Narine still has plenty of to give to KKR and world cricket,” he further explained.

File image of Gautam Gambhir© BCCI/Sportzpics

Sunil Narine receiving the MVP award© BCCI

The grand finale of the Indian Premier League, 2024, will see Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) go head-to-head against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on Sunday. In their previous clash of the series in Qualifier 1, Mitchell Starc shone brightly for Kolkata Knight Riders, earning the Man of the Match title with a stellar 99 fantasy points. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rahul Tripathi was the top performer, amassing 80 fantasy points. Over the 27 matches played between these teams, the all-rounders from Kolkata Knight Riders have consistently been top fantasy point scorers for their team.

Conversely, the batters from Sunrisers Hyderabad have dominated the fantasy points charts for their side.

KKR vs SRH: Standout players to keep an eye on

1. Sunil Narine:

An essential all-rounder for KKR, Sunil Narine has excelled with both bat and ball. He has scored 482 runs in 13 matches at an average of 37.1, including three half-centuries and one century. As a bowler, his off-break deliveries have yielded 16 wickets, averaging 22 per match.

2. Travis Head:

A formidable top-order, left-handed batter for SRH, Travis Head has tallied 567 runs in 14 matches, averaging 43.6. His consistent performance includes four fifties and one century.

3. Abhishek Sharma:

A dependable top-order left-handed batter for SRH, Abhishek Sharma has scored 482 runs in 15 matches, with an average of 34.4.

4. Andre Russell:

Known for his explosive right-handed batting, Andre Russell has accumulated 222 runs in nine matches for KKR, averaging 31.7. His right-arm fast bowling has also been impressive, claiming 16 wickets with an average of 17.3 per match.

5. Varun Chakaravarthy:

A key leg-break googly bowler for KKR, Varun Chakaravarthy has taken 20 wickets in 13 matches, sporting an average of 19.7.

6. Pat Cummins:

The right-arm fast bowler for SRH has been a consistent performer, with 17 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 32.2.

7. Mitchell Starc:

A left-arm fast bowler for KKR, Mitchell Starc has claimed 15 wickets in 12 matches, averaging 28.7.

8. Heinrich Klaasen:

The right-handed batter and wicketkeeper for SRH, Heinrich Klaasen has scored 463 runs in 14 matches, averaging 42.1 per match.

It was a mundane performance by SunRisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Rider in the Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2024 in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. For a side, that now has the top highest scores in the IPL, SunRisers Hyderabad’s decision to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders stemmed from the belief that they would be able to back their strength However, what happened was quite the opposite. KKR’s Mitchell Starc came to the party at the right time as SRH were all out for just 159. KKR reached the target in less than 14 overs. 

Kavya Maran, SRH owner, has been a constant presence in her team’s matches throughout the IPL 2024. She was clearly not happy with the display of her team. However, one particular expression of hers has been widely shared. It was when SRH lost a review against KKR’s Sunil Narine in the third over. The appeal was for a LBW off the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but DRS showed that the ball was pitched outside leg.

It surprised Maran. 

Kavya Maran couldn’t believe it was pitching outside. pic.twitter.com/CAbnJiSyro

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 21, 2024

Expression of Kavya Maran pic.twitter.com/0HiHJwM0wu

— djay (@djaywalebabu) May 21, 2024

Unbeaten half-centuries by captain Shreyas Iyer (58*) and Venkatesh Iyer (51*) guided Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a crushing eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 and place in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at Narendra Modi Stadium here on Tuesday.

Hyderabad will have another chance to face KKR in the final as they will next take on the winner of the Eliminator match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Chennai on Friday.

Chasing 160, openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sunil Narine gave KKR an electric start in the Powerplay overs as the due scored runs at a run rate of over 10 runs per over.

The first-wicket partnership lasted for 44 runs in 20 balls before T. Natrajan made inroads in the fourth over. The pacer removed Gurbaz at the score of 23 to bring the side back in the game after the thundering start in the chase.

Venkatesh Iyer joined Narine in the middle and kept the momentum going as they added 23 runs before Pat Cummins got Narine (21) in his first over into the attack just after the powerplay.

Shreyas Iyer walked out to bat at No. 4 and built the match-winning partnership for the side that allowed them to chase the total with 38 balls to spare.

Shreyas (58*) and Venkatesh (51*) accumulated an unbeaten 97-run partnership for the third wicket and also smashed their individual fifties during the successful run-chase. Both players hit four sixes and five fours each as they went berserk to take their side to the final.

Earlier, KKR restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 159 all out in 19.3 overs after the latter decided to bat first.

With IANs inputs

IPL 2024, Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders Live Cricket Score© BCCI