'SRK's Pep Talk Lifted Me And Nitish Rana': KKR Star Praises 'Elder Brother' Shah Rukh Khan For Guiding Team

Kolkata Knight Riders allrounder Venkatesh Iyer has praised co-owner Shah Rukh Khan for being an ‘elder brother’ who guides the players constantly.

KKR continued their excellent run in IPL 2024 after finishing the league stage at the top of the standings. The Shreyas Iyer-led side defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first qualifier of the season to make their way into the title clash.

In a post-match video shared by KKR on their social media accounts, Venkatesh, who scored a quick half-century against SRH, said, “It speaks volumes of the man he (SRK) is. We have all seen him on the screen, mesmerising people with his aura, not just be an owner of the franchise but an elder brother figure for us, to guide us constantly.”

Venkatesh recalled how SRK’s pep talk not only helped his confidence but also that of his KKR teammate Nitish Rana who missed a majority of the campaign due to injury.

Rana has appeared in just two matches so far, scoring a combined 42 runs in them.

“His (SRK) pep talk has not just lifted me but the likes of Nitish Rana who was reeling with injury. To comeback from the injury and to perform is a really big task. He’s a great franchise owner,” Venkatesh said.

KKR skipper Shreyas said SRK’s presence alone lifts the team environment.

“His presence itself gets that zest in the team environment. The attitude and approach automatically changes. It’s the perception over here (points to head),” Shreyas said.

Shah Rukh was present in the stands to watch KKR record a thumping win over SRH at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

KKR produced an all-round show on Tuesday with Mitchell Starc playing a starring role with the ball, taking three wickets to help his team restrict SRH to 159-all out in 19.3 overs. KKR then made short work of the target as half-centuries from Shreyas and Venkatesh helped to 164/2 in just 13.4 overs.

This is the fourth time in their history that KKR will be playing in an IPL final, having reached the summit clash in 2012, 2014 and 2021 before.

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