Kolkata Knight Riders are three times IPL champions now. Barring Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, no other IPL team has been as successful as KKR. The Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise, having previously won the title in 2012 and 2014, won their third after a gap of 10 years in some style. They absolutely dominated the proceeding against SunRisers Hyderabad and clinched the title clash by eight wickets.
Shah Rukh Khan, who suffered a heat stroke after KKR's Qualifier 1 win over SRH in Ahmedabad last week, was a happy man. Accompanying was his wife Gauri Khan. They shared a special moment as KKR chased down the 114-run target in 10.3 overs.
Mitchell Starc was magical. Andre Russell was mesmerising. Gautam Gambhir remained stoic. Shah Rukh Khan hid his emotions behind a mask. Those contrasting pictures vividly conveyed Kolkata Knight Riders' annihilation of Sunrisers Hyderabad in a lopsided final to bag their third Indian Premier League title here on Sunday.
In a season dominated from start to finish, KKR's bowling unit was inch-perfect leaving Sunrisers in a shambles while bowling them out for a paltry 113 in 18.3 overs.
It was the tournament's lowest-ever summit clash score.
Venkatesh Iyer (52 not out, 26b, 4x4, 3x6), a forgotten India all-rounder, then helped KKR complete the formalities in just 10.3 overs.
He also ensured that fellow Iyer -- skipper Shreyas -- had a 'Knight' to remember after enduring a harrowing last four months where Indian cricket establishment robbed him of some dignity.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (39) was useful with the bat after being effective behind the stumps with three catches.
It was a perfect night for him too as he had to leave in the middle of the tournament to attend his ailing mother who is admitted in a Kabul hospital.
The match was one-sided, the victory was clinical and it smelt of one thing -- Team Spirit.
With PTI inputs