(Source/ The Hans India)
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) concluded last Sunday with the final match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
In a one-sided finale, KKR dominated SRH, winning by eight wickets to secure their third title. The Shreyas Iyer-led team thoroughly controlled the game, making KKR the third franchise, after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, to win the IPL title three times.
SRH’s captain, Pat Cummins, chose to bat first, a decision that backfired as KKR bowled out SRH for a mere 113 runs. Apart from Cummins, who scored 24, no other SRH batsman managed to surpass 20 runs. SRH struggled at 77 for 7 at one point before Cummins’ brief innings helped them cross the 100-run mark. In response, KKR chased down the target in less than 11 overs, thanks to Venkatesh Iyer’s unbeaten 52 off 26 balls.
Aakash Chopra announces his IPL 2024 Team of the Tournament:
With IPL 2024 concluded, former India opener Aakash Chopra has unveiled his Team of the Tournament. The ex-cricketer-turned-commentator included some unexpected choices in his star-studded XI.
He selected Sunil Narine and Virat Kohli as the openers, overlooking players like Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. Kohli emerged as the top run-scorer of IPL 2024, amassing 741 runs, including one century and five half-centuries. Narine impressed as an opener for KKR, scoring 488 runs with one century and three fifties.
For the number three and four positions, Chopra chose Rajasthan Royals’ Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag. Parag ended the season as the top scorer for his team with 573 runs, including four half-centuries. Meanwhile, Samson accumulated 531 runs, featuring five half-centuries.
“I have given the No. 3 spot to Sanju Samson. He was batting at No. 3 and scored a lot of runs. One of his most consistent seasons which you discuss about and praise. Sanju Samson is also my team’s keeper. He has given match-winning performances as well,” he said.
“At No. 4, I have given a place to his teammate Riyan Parag. Suryakumar Yadav’s name also came to my mind here but I am going with Riyan. He has given match-winning performances and has played extremely well as an uncapped Indian. It was his breakthrough season,” added Chopra.
Continuing his selection, Aakash Chopra chose Shivam Dube for the number five position, preferring him over Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Reddy. For the number six spot, he opted for Nicholas Pooran instead of Heinrich Klaasen. As the all-rounder, Chopra selected Andre Russell.
“I am keeping Shivam Dube at No. 5. There were discussions about whether he should be kept, whether Venkatesh Iyer or Nitish Reddy’s name can come here. I am going with Shivam Dube because he has batted at a different level. Till the time he wasn’t selected for India, he was destroying the opposition,” he explained.
“After that, I have Nicholas Pooran. It could have been Pooran or Heinrich Klaasen but I have gone towards Pooran because firstly, I get a left-hander. His batting has been incredible, that is true for Heinrich Klaasen as well but I am still going with Nicholas Pooran.
He further picked Pat Cummins as the captain of the team ahead of Shreyas Iyer, saying: “Now comes the captain of the tournament. Although Shreyas Iyer lifted the trophy for sure and his captaincy was also very good, I am going with Pat Cummins.
“I liked Pat Cummins’ captaincy a lot. I will put my hand up and say that I didn’t have 100% confidence but he did very well. Pat Cummins is the captain of my team,” he added.
Chopra finalized his star-studded team by selecting Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy as the remaining bowlers.
Aakash Chopra’s IPL 2024 Team of the Tournament:
Sunil Narine, Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
