KKR vs SRH: 'We played like invincibles throughout IPL 2024' - Shreyas Iyer after KKR's title win

Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets to win the IPL 2024 final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday (May 26).

KKR continued their domination over SRH as they defeated them for the third time this season. Incidentally, both the teams had started their campaign in IPL 2024 by taking on each other and KKR had won that game by 4 runs.

Their second meeting came in the qualifier and KKR had thrashed SRH by eight wickets on that occasion before winning the final by the same margin. KKR lost the toss but it did not take them long to make SRH regret their decision of batting first. Led by Mitchell Starc, KKR made a solid start with the ball. The left-arm pacer castled Abhishek Sharma with a beauty in the very first over to set the tone.

In the second over, Vaibhav Arora dismissed Travis Head for a duck before Starc dismissed Rahul Tripathi to leave SRH reeling at 21 for 3 in the fifth over. The Hyderabad-based outfit kept losing wickets at regular intervals and eventually huffed and puffed their way to a modest 113. For KKR, Andre Russell picked up three wickets while Starc and Harshit Rana claimed two apiece.

In reply, KKR were off to a shaky start with the bat as Sunil Narine was out for just 6. However, Venkatesh Iyer scored a quickfire fifty to fire KKR to a thumping win. The southpaw scored an unbeaten 52 off just 26 balls while Rahmanullah Gurbaz also played a crucial 39-run knock.

Shreyas Iyer delighted with title win:

Speaking at the end of the final, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer expressed his delight over the way his team performed throughout the season. The right-handed batsman called the win over SRH 'absolutely comprehensive' before highlighting that KKR played the entire season like invincibles.

"Absolutely comprehensive. This is what we demanded from the team and every individual. They stood up to the right occasion and the feeling is hard to express. We played like invincibles throughout the season. There's so much to cherish right now," said Shreyas Iyer.

"There's so much to cherish right now. It is pleasing, the performance has been flawless throughout. I am running out of words right now. We have been tremendous from game one, we stepped up today. All we demanded from ourselves was to back each other whatever the situation is. The game could have either way," he added.

Speaking about SRH's performance throughout the season and the match, Shreyas Iyer said: "They have been playing phenomenal cricket - SRH - throughout the season. We were lucky to bowl first and every situation went in our favour. Thanks to SRH the way they played. Looking forward to play more competitive cricket.

Iyer concluded by heaping praise on Starc for delivering in the high-pressure games. The KKR captain also praised the pacer for his attitude as he said:

"That's when all the big players stand up, right! It was a high-pressure game and he's been so good off the field. He's never shown any complacency in his work ethics. He stepped up to the right occasion.

"He's got that magic wand (on Russell), he's looking forward to pick wickets. When I look at him, I know he can look at him. All the guys stepped up at the right time. Made it easier. It has been a flawless season," he added.