Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) surged past Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by a convincing eight-wicket margin to earn their spot in the final of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad played host to an emphatic KKR performance, where their bowlers restricted the vaunted SRH batting line-up to a modest 159 runs. The KKR batsmen then made light work of the chase, sailing past the target to clinch their fourth IPL final appearance, and their first since 2021.
The day began with SRH’s captain, Pat Cummins, winning the toss and electing to bat first. Setting an optimistic tone, SRH aimed to leverage their aggressive batting line-up that had captured the audiences’ imagination throughout the season. However, KKR’s opening bowler Mitchell Starc had other plans. Starc, armed with the new ball, startled SRH by bowling out Travis Head on just the second delivery of the match, setting the stage for a KKR-dominated affair.
The powerplay period was a rollercoaster of emotions, with moments of brilliance and mishaps for both teams. SRH showed intent and tried to fight back with their brand of cricket, but KKR consistently attacked for wickets. Rahul Tripathi stood as a beacon of hope for SRH, attacking the bowlers without hesitation and choosing aerial routes to clear boundaries. Unfortunately for SRH, they lost three more crucial wickets during this phase. Vaibhav Arora saw Abhishek Sharma caught at cover by Andre Russell in the second over, and Starc came back in the fifth over to inflict a double blow. Nitish Reddy top-edged one to be caught by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Shahbaz Ahmed, promoted to No. 6, chopped one onto his stumps on the very first ball he faced. By the end of five overs, SRH was reeling at a precarious 39 for four.
Despite the early setbacks, SRH found a much-needed partnership between Rahul Tripathi and Heinrich Klaasen. Over the next six overs, they added 61 runs to the total, showing some fightback. Sunil Narine was brought into the attack in the ninth over and was mercilessly targeted by Klaasen, who milked 18 runs off the over, including a towering six down the ground. Tripathi reached his half-century in the 11th over with a reverse sweep off Chakaravarthy, completing the milestone in just 29 balls under pressure.
However, SRH’s resurgence was short-lived. Klaasen was caught at deep mid-wicket by Rinku Singh for 32, and Abdul Samad walked in with aggressive intent, smashing his first ball for a massive six off Narine. Continuing his assault, he hit another huge six in Narine’s next over, but a miscommunication with Tripathi led to the latter’s unfortunate run-out for 55, leaving SRH at 121 for six.
In the following overs, Pat Cummins displayed some resistance, scoring a fighting 30 off 24 balls to guide SRH past the 150-run mark, even as wickets continued to tumble at the other end.
. Cummins managed to spoil Starc’s otherwise impressive figures by hitting a four and six off Starc’s last two deliveries. Eventually, Cummins was dismissed in the final over and SRH concluded their innings at 159. Starc finished with impressive figures of three for 34, and Varun Chakaravarthy also shone with an economical two for 26. KKR’s fielders backed their bowlers admirably, making significant contributions by way of spectacular catches and preventing SRH from posting a daunting total.
KKR’s chase began with aggressive intent, as if eyed an imposing total. A key change saw Gurbaz opening the innings with Narine. Gurbaz, playing his first game of the season, quickly made his presence felt, cracking the second ball of the innings for a boundary. Narine then took charge, striking two fours off Cummins in the second over, while Gurbaz edged one over third-man for six. The aggression continued, even when Bhuvneshwar Kumar came on for the third over. T Natarajan nabbed SRH’s first breakthrough in the fourth over when Gurbaz, attempting an ambitious cover drive, was caught out for 23.
Despite the early wicket, KKR did not let the intensity dip. Venkatesh Iyer joined the party, continuing where Gurbaz left off. The team sped to 63 runs in the powerplay. Narine, after a quickfire 21, was dismissed by Cummins trying to clear the deep square-leg.
Then it was the “Iyer show” as Venkatesh and Shreyas took command. With the required run rate comfortably under control, it allowed both batsmen to play their natural game. SRH endured a tough day on the field, losing reviews early and missing vital catch opportunities. Venkatesh ensured there was no let-up, clearing the ropes repeatedly and racing to his half-century off just 28 balls with a towering six over mid-wicket. Shreyas soon joined in the fun, reaching his fifty off 23 balls, adorned with massive sixes and boundary strokes through the gap.
The match concluded in grand style with Shreyas hitting a giant six over long-on to not just bring up the team’s win, but also underline their supremacy by finishing the match in just 13.4 overs with eight wickets to spare.
While KKR now set their sights on the title clash, SRH get another bite at the cherry and will face the winner of the Eliminator between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals in the hope of making it to the final.