Watch: Nitish Rana, Ramandeep Singh lift Gautam Gambhir on shoulders to celebrate KKR's IPL 2024 triumph
Published - 27 May 2024, 05:10 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:54 PM
![Gautam Gambhir](https://static.cricketaddictor.com/images/2024/GautamGambhirliftedbyKKRstars.webp?q=80)
Gautam Gambhir added another feather to his cap as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under his mentorship won the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final of the tournament at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday (26th May).
Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders roped in Gautam Gambhir as the mentor of the team. The former India cricketer, who won two titles as the skipper of the team, completely changed the fortunes of the team with his mentorship.
Gautam Gambhir instilled a fearless attitude in the players and gave them the freedom to express themselves. One of the biggest moves that the KKR mentor did was he promoted Sunil Narine up the order and the move paid off rich dividends and turned out to be a game changer.
Apart from his magic with the ball, Sunil Narine produced a magnificent effort with the bat at the top. He batted with an aggressive mindset and scored around 500 runs. This arguably was one of the main reasons why Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL 2024 dominantly.
In the final, Kolkata Knight Riders produced a dominating performance. Asked to field first, they wrapped up Sunrisers Hyderabad's innings for just 113 runs. Mitchell Starc and Vaibhav Arora wreaked havoc in the power play and after that, Harshit Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarty all chipped in.
With the bat, Venkatesh Iyer was the star for them as he produced a valiant effort with the bat. The Southpaw, who slammed the magnificent half-century in Qualifier 1, came with another magical fifty as Kolkata Knight Riders chased the target inside 11 overs to win their third title in the history of the league
The mood in the KKR camp was extremely jubilant as they celebrated wildly. However, what caught the attention of many was the gesture of the players towards Gautam Gambhir. Nitish Rana and Ramandeep Singh lifted the KKR mentor on their shoulders as the video went viral.
Here's the clip:
KKR players carrying Gambhir on their shoulders after IPL victory. 💜
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 27, 2024
- Video of the IPL 2024 final...!!!! pic.twitter.com/kX5axFrwq1
GG just saying - "go there and enjoy it, just try to win a few games for the team" - Sunil Narine on Gautam Gambhir
Sunil Narine talked about his batting performances in the league. He revealed the message by Gautam Gambhir ahead of the season, saying that the mentor told him to express himself and win a few games for the team. He also lauded his bowling partner Varun Chakravarty, who picked 21 wickets. Speaking to broadcasters, he stated:
"The backing of the support staff, especially GG just saying - "go there and enjoy it, just try to win a few games for the team. I am not asking you to do the entire season, but just a few games." That was very good advice. Salty played an incredible season. We missed him but Gurbaz came in and filled that role. Once you have an opening partner with the same intent, it's good for the team and you always get a good start for the team as well.
"He (Varun Chakaravarthy) is a world-class bowler, he puts in the work. Whatever happens on the field, it's what he does off the field. The whole bowling line-up, we always pick early wickets, so we come to bowl under less pressure. As a total bowling unit, picking up wickets is key and it helped us win the title," he concluded.