Kolkata Knight Riders' maiden IPL trophy - Key contributors - Part I
After four years of despair and despondency, the Kolkata Knight Riders finally clinched the coveted IPL trophy for the ‘Calcutta’ fans and for ‘Balaji’, according to skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447. King Khan's Knight Riders were crowned IPL champs
last Sunday when they defeated two-time champions Chennai Super Kings in an enthralling final by five wickets.
Unlike the previous seasons, the Knight Riders made the headlines mostly for cricketing reasons; forget about SRK’s smoking or drinking habit for a little while. The skipper Gautam Gambhir, in the real sense, led the side by example, finishing at the
top of the tournament's run-chart, just behind the explosive http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lakshmipathy-Balaji-c72130. But the trump card of KKR
all-through the title winning campaign remained the West Indian off-spinner, Sunil Narine, who troubled almost every batsman with his variation and wicket-taking ability.
The two players who could be regarded as the virtual trump cards in KKR’s successful IPL campaign are skipper Gautam Gambhir and the mystery off-spinner Sunil Narine. But there are several others who played key roles in taking the side to the tournament
finals.
Gautam Gambhir:
Coming to Kolkata after playing the first three editions with Delhi Daredevils, Gambhir took the Knight Riders to the tournament playoffs last year and clinched the side its maiden title in only his second year as the KKR skipper.
Though the left hander has been continuously refusing to take the credit of Knight Riders’ maiden IPL trophy, the fact remains that the Delhi http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Paul-Anthony-Hibbert-c81005 played a crucial role in KKR’s success, not only with his astute leadership but also with his belligerent
batting at the top of the order.
With a tally of 590 runs from 17 innings, Gambhir topped KKR’s runs chart and returned as the second highest run getter overall.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Manvinder-Singh-c74304 Bisla
The little known http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haryana-c790 batsman had played only six matches for Knight Riders before the selectors drafted him in the playing XI for tournament final, giving him the task of opening the innings with skipper Gautam Gambhir.
After losing opening partner Gambhir on only the sixth ball of the chase, the rookie batsman showed nerves and played a blatant knock of 89 runs off just 48 deliveries, sharing a hefty 136-run stand with Jacques Kallis for the second wicket, to put
the side well on course to a title clinching five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869:
Shah Rukh Khan’s decision to pay US$700,000 for West Indian spinner Sunil Narine, had come as a surprise for most of the IPL pundits as before coming into the esteemed tournament the tweaker had hardly got a chance to play against the likes of Sachin
Tendulkar, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Dravid-c2229 and many others.
But the offie lived up to his billing and led the side to the IPL title almost single handedly. The Trinidad and Tobago mystery spinner bamboozled the best of the batsmen with his variation. Even Master Blaster http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SR-Tendulkar-c2556 failed to read Narine’s
ball and was bowled out.
Narine claimed 24 wickets, just one less than purple cap winner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 Daredevils, and was adjudged as the Player of the Tournament. His average (13.50) and economy rate (5.47) were the best among all the bowlers.
Continued...
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