Former Indian cricketer takes a dig at Virat Kohli

Former Indian cricketer, Ambati Rayudu, in his congratulatory message to the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders on lifting the IPL trophy, took a fresh jibe at Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). 

Speaking with a local sports channel after the final match at the Chepauk Stadium, the former CSK player emphasized the importance of collective team contributions.

He remarked that individual milestones, such as winning the Orange Cap for the most runs in the tournament, did not necessarily guarantee an IPL title, indirectly referring to Virat Kohli and RCB's struggles to secure an IPL championship despite individual accolades.

“Congratulations to the KKR team for really standing up for stalwarts like (Sunil) Narine, (Andre) Russell, and (Mitchell) Starc and also contributing their share in the team's win. That’s how a team wins the IPL. We have seen this over the years. It’s not the Orange Cap that wins you the IPL but it is the contributions like 300 runs each (of many players),” Rayudu said.

It is worth noting that the Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad to register their victory in the IPL 2024 final. Batting first, Hyderabad were bundled out for 113 runs in the first innings, and in reply, KKR comfortably chased down the target to lift their third title.

Virat Kohli had another stellar year as a batter for RCB in this year's edition, finishing as the tournament's top run-scorer. The right-hander amassed 741 runs in 15 innings at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of 154.69, including five fifties and one century. 

However, despite having several match-winners in their squad, RCB once again fell short, failing to win the IPL title. This marks the 17th edition of the tournament without a single championship victory for the RCB franchise.