Chennai: Rinku Singh bowed down to Gautam Gambhir after Kolkata Knight Riders outclassed Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in the final of IPL 2024 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. Chasing a paltry 114 runs, Venkatesh Iyer’s unbeaten 52 helped the Kolkata franchise to romp home in just 10.3 overs with eight wickets in hand.
Soon after the winning runs, Rinku and several other players went to Gambhir before the Uttar Pradesh lad bowed down with folded hands. Meanwhile, Rinku said his dream of seven years came true after KKR lifted their third title. Joining KKR in 2018, Rinku made a name for himself last year with his batting heroics which eventually led to his India debut.
Although, Rinku didn’t get much batting time in this edition, but contributed with lighting quick fielding. “My dream of seven years is complete. Finally I will lift the trophy. I am proud of my whole team and Gautam Gambhir sir. It was God’s plan,” said Rinku after the win.
Rinku Singh bowed down to Gautam Gambhir. pic.twitter.com/yaPCddeTXu
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 26, 2024
Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who had to fly home due to his mother’s illness, stated, “My mom is watching from the home. She is feeling good now. I asked mom before the match if she wanted anything. She said just the win. When Salt was playing, I wasn’t expecting to get a chance but I knew it’s a long tournament and I needed to be ready. Once I got the chance, I was well prepared.”
Meanwhile, Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer credited KKR assistant coach Abhishek Nayar for the work he has done for the team. “All I can think right now is of the person who built this Indian core: Abhishek Nayar,” Chakravarthy, who took 21 wickets this season, said.
“Really happy with it. As Varun mentioned, Abhishek Nayar deserves all the credit in the world. Some contributions go unnoticed, I want to make sure they don’t. This guy deserves all the credit in the world for the way he has been working for this franchise,” Iyer said.
Reacting to Iyer and Chakravarthy’s credit, Nayar said, “It means everything. I started playing IPL in the first season and it has taken me 16 years for the first title after two finals. I am really happy for the boys. I cannot express how happy I am. The big man (Russell) turning up as usual. It is the most surreal feeling I have had in a long time,” said the former India cricketer.
