3 times when the winner of the opening match won the IPL trophy

#2 Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2014

KKR lifted the trophy for the second time.

The earlier part of the 2014 season was played in the UAE due to the general elections in India. The Gambhir-led Kolkata Knight Riders were up against the Rohit-led Mumbai Indians in the opening match at Abu Dhabi. Batting first, KKR scored 163/5 as Jaques Kallis and Manish Pandey contributed 72 & 64 respectively. Chasing the target, Mumbai Indians could not sustain against Sunil Narine as the West Indian spinner subdued them with a stunning spell 4-0-20-4. KKR won the match by 41 runs to start the tournament on a winning note.

After the first match, KKR looked to drop the rhythm as they could only win one out of their next six matches. But KKR redeemed themselves and then started a dream run for Kolkata-based franchise as they won seven matches on the trot. The unbelievable effort from KKR helped them gaining the second spot in the points table after the completion of the league stage.

KKR defeated Kings XI Punjab in the first qualifier to seal the berth in the final and faced them again for the title, as Kings XI Punjab got the better of Chennai Super Kings in the second qualifier. In the clash for the title, Kolkata Knight Riders held their nerves to go past KXIP in the very last over. On the virtue of a sensational 94 off 50 balls, Manish Pandey bagged the man of the match award.

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