"KKR banned for next entire season for FLYING KISS"- Top 10 funny memes after Kolkata Knight Riders' flying kiss celebration with IPL 2024 trophy

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) contingent celebrated their IPL 2024 winning campaign with a flying kiss while posing with the trophy. KKR became three-time IPL champions on Sunday (May 26), beating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) clinically in a one-sided final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

SRH didn't turn up well for the match as they were completely outplayed by the Knight Riders across all departments. After opting to bat first, Sunrisers got skittled out for 113 in 18.3 overs after a disastrous show from their batting unit. Captain Pat Cummins (24) was their top scorer.

Andre Russell (3/19), Harshit Rana (2/24), and Mitchell Starc (2/14) were among the wickets for the Kolkata side. Venkatesh Iyer (52*) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (39) played well to take their side over the line in just 10.3 overs.

Shreyas Iyer then received the IPL 2024 trophy from BCCI dignitaries in a grand presentation event. While posing with the trophy, all the players, team management, and the owners expressed their happiness with a special gesture. They all celebrated with a flying kiss, which was the reason KKR pacer Harshit Rana got fined and banned earlier in the season.

Fans took note of the interesting celebration and used it as a template to compile hilarious memes. here are some of the best ones:

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"Hopefully it is purple and gold next year once again"- Mitchell Starc on returning to IPL next season with KKR franchise

Mitchell Starc played in the IPL after nine long years this season. Knight Riders signed him with a record-breaking bid of INR 24.75 Crores at the mini-auction last December. However, things didn't go as planned for the Australian pacer, as he performed poorly in the initial phase of IPL 2024.

The KKR management kept faith in him and reaped rewards for the backing in the Qualifier 1 and final, where Starc put on Player of the Match performances. Reflecting on the season and his future plans at a recent presser, Starc said:

"Next year, I don't know the schedule exactly, but as I said, I enjoyed it and I look forward to being back next and hopefully it is purple and gold next year once again.

"Last 9 years, I have prioritised Australian cricket and IPL has been my time off and give my body a break and spend some time with my wife also. That's certainly been what the outlook has been for the last 9 years."

Shedding light on his thought process about managing his career, Starc continued:

"Moving forward, look, certainly I am closer to the end of my career than the start, so, one format may drop off. It is a long time away, the next ODI World Cup and whether that format continues for me or not, it may open doors for more franchise cricket, so, I have thoroughly enjoyed this season, it leads into the World Cup, so that's the other side of it, the benefit of being here."

Do you think Mitchell Starc should be retained by KKR ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction if he makes himself available? Let us know your views in the comments section.