"Abhishek Nayar was the one who built this Indian core" - Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakaravarthy give no credit to Gautam Gambhir

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakaravarthy were delighted after the team's victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakaravarthy credited assistant coach Abhishek Nayar for the team's success in the IPL 2024.

The Knight Riders outplayed SunRisers Hyderabad to register a win in the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 26. The KKR bowlers bundled out the opposition team for a paltry 113 runs in the summit clash. The KKR team chased down the target with eight wickets and 57 balls to spare.

Mitchell Starc provided an early breakthrough by dismissing Abhishek Sharma in the first over. Vaibhav Arora removed Travis Head for a golden duck in the second over. The Pat Cummins-led team failed to gain momentum. Andre Russell picked up three wickets, while Starc and Harshit Rana took two wickets each.

Abhishek Nayar Was The One Who Built This Indian Core - Venkatesh Iyer

Speaking to the broadcaster following the victory, Venkatesh Iyer lauded Abhishek Nayar for his hard work with the franchise in building this Indian core. Iyer emphasized that some contributions often go unnoticed and wanted to ensure Nayar's efforts are recognized.

"Really happy, credit goes to Abhishek Nayar, all the credit in the world, the way he's worked for the franchise. Some contributions go unnoticed, I want to make sure they don't. He was the one who built this Indian core. We waited for 10 years, credit to the management and the coaching staff," Venkatesh Iyer said.

Venkatesh Iyer scored an unbeaten 52 runs off 26 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes. The left-handed batter also scored a half-century in 'Qualifier 1' against SunRisers Hyderabad. He scored 370 runs in 13 innings at an impressive average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 158.80, including four half-centuries.

This Has Been A Great Season For Me - Varun Chakaravarthy

Varun Chakaravarthy expressed his satisfaction with his performances in the IPL 2024, describing it as a "great season" for him. The spin bowler highlighted Abhishek Nayar for his role in developing the Indian core of the team.

"This has been a great season for me. All I can think of now is the person who has built the Indian core - Abhishek Nayar," Varun Chakaravarthy said.

Varun Chakravarthy bowled only two overs in the final match. The Tamil Nadu-born spinner bagged the wicket of Shahbaz Ahmed in his spell. He finished the IPL 2024 as the leading wicket-taker for the Knight Riders. He took 21 wickets in 14 innings at an impressive average of 19.14 and a decent economy of 8.04.

The Kolkata Knight Riders previously won IPL titles in 2012 and 2014 under Gautam Gambhir's captaincy. With their latest win, KKR is third overall behind the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who both have five titles. Sunil Narine was KKR's top run scorer this season with 488 runs in 15 matches.

Also read: Sunil Narine becomes the first player to secure this award three times in IPL history