Kolkata Knight Riders Romp Past SunRisers Hyderabad In Final To Clinch Third IPL Title

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 in Chennai 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.

He came back after Englishman Phil Salt had to report back for national duty.

The match was one-sided, the victory was clinical and it smelt of one thing -- Team Spirit.

Everyone had an enticing back story as they got together to become the third team after CSK and MI to win three IPL titles.

In 2012, at this very ground, Gambhir had stamped his credentials as an astute skipper leading KKR to their maiden title.

A dozen years later, Gambhir, the tactician behind the scenes, ensured that when the T20 World Cup ends next month, the Indian cricket board will be able to convince him to change the colour of his