IPL 2021: 3 KKR players who had an impactful final
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a fantastic IPL 2021 season. After winning only two out of their first seven games, the Knight Riders completely turned around their campaign during the UAE leg to make their way to the IPL final.
The Eoin Morgan-led team was on the verge of scripting history when it took the field against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday in their third-ever IPL final. However, KKR's worst nightmare - their out-of-form middle order - came back to haunt them badly on the night of the final.
Although the KKR bowlers had done a phenomenal job in the UAE leg, they failed to replicate their brilliance against the Chennai Super Kings. CSK went on to pile on a mammoth total of 192 after being put in to bat first, making the chase incredibly difficult for the Men in Purple.
While KKR's middle order crumbled once again in the final, their top order continued to shine bright. They kept KKR in the game and gave CSK a run for their money for the first 10 overs until the first wicket fell.
On that note, we take a look at three players from the Kolkata Knight Riders camp who had a very impactful IPL final. These three players were pretty much the only ones who gave the Knight Riders an outside chance in the final against CSK.
#1 Sunil Narine
KKR's trump card for all occasions, Sunil Narine delivered on the big stage once again. After the CSK openers got off to a flyer in Dubai, Narine came into the attack and quickly removed the dangerous Ruturaj Gaikwad with a brilliant deceptive delivery. Narine then also trapped Robin Uthappa, who had a great start and was looking dangerous as the game progressed.
More importantly, Sunil Narine gave away only 26 runs at 6.5 runs per over in his quota of four overs. Given that the CSK side set a total of 192 runs, Sunil Narine giving away 26 runs for two wickets was a fantastic performance to say the least.
Sunil Narine tonight. #RCBvKKR #IPL2021 https://t.co/fB7kzqw3Js
#2 Venkatesh Iyer
A perfect combination of talent and confidence, Venkatesh Iyer has undoubtedly been the biggest revelation of IPL 2021. The young KKR opener scored four half-centuries in only the UAE leg of the tournament and played with unmatched consistency throughout.
While many opined that the pressure of the final would get the better of him, Venkatesh Iyer silenced all his critics with the bat on Friday. He got his team off to a flyer in Dubai and scored a quickfire 50 off just 32 deliveries to give KKR a serious chance of winning the IPL final.
Venkatesh Iyer is likely to be asked to stay in the Indian bubble as a cover-up for Hardik Pandya in the T20 World Cup. (Source - PTI)
#3 Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill is perhaps one of the finest batting prospects for the future. Endowed with graceful and classy strokeplay, he's a batsman who doesn't take the aerial route too often but still manages to score runs aplenty. Shubman Gill times and places the ball to perfection and makes it cross the boundary ropes with ease.
Opening the innings in the IPL final for KKR, Gill partnered superbly with Venkatesh Iyer to give his team a dream start in a tall chase. Even after Iyer departed, Gill continued to hold the batting together from one end and did well to keep the team's run-rate at par with the required run-rate.
He ended up scoring 51 runs off 43 deliveries before he was trapped in front of the stumps while trying to scoop a delivery behind the wicket-keeper.
It's going down to the 'wire' 😬
It's been given a dead ball, Shubman survives!
#KKR #CSKvKKR #AmiKKR #IPL2021 #IPLFinal