The 2024 Indian Premier League concluded with barely any drama as tournament leaders Kolkata Knight Riders stamped their authority over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a one-sided final in Chennai on Sunday to clinch their third title.
Kolkata and Hyderabad were the two most impressive teams in the tournament and deservedly made it to the final, where a superb start by Aussie spearhead Mitchell Starc and an all-round bowling effort set up a comfortable eight-wicket win.
With the two-month long IPL carnival now over, we take a look at the best players of the tournament.
IPL 2024 team of the season
Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
By the far the most consistent batsman of the tournament, Kohli amassed 741 runs from 15 outings at an average of more than 60 and a strike rate of 155. He held RCB together after a horror start to the tournament and was mainly responsible for taking them to the play-offs.
Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Opening the innings provided a new avenue for the Caribbean star as he scored 488 runs at a strike rate of 180. On top of that, regained his mojo with the ball as he turned into a critical member of the bowling unit, picking up 17 wickets at almost 6.5 runs an over. Worth his weight in gold in T20 cricket.
Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals, wk)
Another season where he started brightly but started to fade towards the end. But there is no denying Samson’s ability with the bat, calm leadership skills and dependable glovework. Over 500 runs and a run to the play-offs is a very good return.
Shreyas Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders, captain)
They say you should pick the team first and then a captain among it, but Iyer deserves to be in this list first simply because of the mental fortitude he has shown over the past few months after his reported fallout with the national team management and loss of a central contract. Despite all that, Iyer helped Kolkata dominate throughout the tournament and got the best out of every single player, for which he deserves a lot of the credit.
Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants)
The most dependable and devastating T20 batsman in the middle overs. Scored just one short of 500 runs at a strike rate of close to 180, despite playing his home matches on tricky surfaces in Lucknow, and showed how good he is. Had his home games been in Delhi or Kolkata, he would have scored plenty more.
Shivam Dube (Chennai Super Kings)
Dube is a spin destroying machine, with his game developed around that single aspect. Was tied down a bit by high-quality pace but his entry point in the middle overs was perfect for him and, on his day, can change the course of a match in a couple of overs. Arguably the hardest hitter in the game.
Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Promised to be fitter and stronger this tournament and delivered. Did admirably with the bat whenever he got a chance, striking at over 180, and was even better with the ball, picking up 19 wickets in 15 matches and bowling consistently. Kolkata treat Russell and Narine like royalty and we can now see why.
Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Not an established name in T20 cricket but still clinched a monster $2.5 million contract in the auction and was named Hyderabad captain after a stupendous season that included Test and ODI world titles. His captaincy was spot on, and so was his bowling as he snared 18 wickets at under 10 an over. Absolute must in any team, and format, any tournament just because of the value of each of his skill sets.
Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians)
Horrible season for Mumbai but another outstanding one for Bumrah. Picked up 20 wickets in just 13 matches at an economy of under 6.5, which is almost unfathomable in a season filled with 250-plus scores under the impact sub rule. He is the greatest bowler T20 cricket has seen.
Kuldeep Yadav (Delhi Capitals)
The best wrist spinner of the tournament. Yadav has transformed his game in all formats and is one of the first names on the team sheet. This season, picked up 16 wickets in 11 games at under nine an over, which is superb for a wrist spinner. Can walk into any white ball team.
Varun Chakravarthy (Kolkata Knight Riders)
The best IPL season for the mystery spinner. Kolkata know how to look after talent and he repaid the trust many times over, picking up 21 wickets and maintained an economy of just eight.
Impact subs: Rajat Patidar, Abishek Sharma, Harshit Rana, Mitchell Starc, Jake Fraser-McGurk
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THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 285bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: TBA
On sale: Q2, 2020
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
The%20specs
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World Test Championship table
1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
3 Australia 69.2 per cent
4 England 64.1 per cent
5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent
6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)