Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have secured their place in the final of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 by overpowering Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in a one-sided Qualifier 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The victory ensures KKR’s fourth appearance in an IPL final, their first since 2021.
The clash started with SRH captain Pat Cummins winning the toss and opting to bat. The decision to bat first reflected SRH’s confidence in their aggressive batting order, which had consistently delivered high-octane performances this season. Mitchell Starc of KKR opened the bowling attack, facing off against SRH’s Travis Head. Head’s time at the crease was cut abruptly short as he was bowled out by Starc on the second ball, setting the tone for KKR’s dominance in the match.
Early innings witnessed a flurry of action, with SRH attempting to fight back while KKR pushed for early breakthroughs. Amidst the early losses, Rahul Tripathi appeared as the focal point of resistance for SRH. He fearlessly took the aerial route under mounting pressure but saw his fellow batsmen tumble around him. Abhishek Sharma fell to a catch by Andre Russell off Vaibhav Arora in the second over, while Starc, returning for his second spell in the fifth over, dismissed Nitish Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed in quick succession. By the end of the powerplay, SRH was reeling at 39 for four.
It was a pivotal partnership between Tripathi and Heinrich Klaasen that resurrected SRH’s innings temporarily. They consolidated their team’s position by adding 61 runs in the next six overs, with Klaasen launching an assault on Sunil Narine in the ninth over by hitting him for a massive six. Tripathi reached his half-century in the 11th over, exhibiting resilience and an attacking mindset.
The partnership was broken when Klaasen was taken at deep mid-wicket by Rinku Singh for 32 runs. Abdul Samad then carried on the aggression, launching Narine for a massive six, but soon a mix-up with Tripathi led to the latter’s run-out for a solid 55. With the scoreboard reading 121 for six, the SRH innings foundered once again.
Late resistance by captain Pat Cummins provided a semblance of respectability to the total. Cummins, with a composed 30 off 24 balls, steered his team past 150, finding boundaries consistently in the death overs, including spoiling Starc’s final figures with a four and six in his last over.
. SRH’s innings concluded at 159 for eight, a score thanks in part to Starc’s three-wicket haul and Chakaravarthy’s economical two for 26.
In response, KKR’s chase began explosively. Playing his first game of the tournament, Rahmanullah Gurbaz opened the batting alongside Narine. The pair exhibited aggressive intent right from the start, with Gurbaz smashing a boundary off just the second ball. Narine continued the momentum, slashing Cummins for two fours. Despite SRH’s efforts, the powerplay was dominated by KKR, who amassed 63 runs with Narine contributing a quick 21 before getting caught.
Young Venkatesh Iyer entered and continued the aggressive approach, not allowing SRH any respite. Gurbaz, who initially looked promising, fell for 23 while trying to clear the covers off Natarajan. Despite the loss, Iyer and Shreyas Iyer kept KKR on track, maintaining a healthy run rate and ensuring that the required rate stayed manageable.
The Iyer duo formed a formidable partnership, with Venkatesh displaying excellent timing and smashing sixes at will. Shreyas took charge too, capitalizing on early dropped chances and poor fielding by SRH. SRH quickly exhausted their reviews, making it an even tougher evening for them on the field.
Soon after, both batsmen reached their fifties in style. Venkatesh hit a six off Nitish to bring up his milestone, scoring 50 off just 28 balls. Shreyas matched his partner’s brilliance by reaching his half-century in just 23 balls, finishing the game with a towering six over long-on. KKR achieved their target in just 13.4 overs, a commanding performance to seal the win with 38 balls to spare and eight wickets in hand.
While KKR set their sights on the final, SRH have one last chance to make it there as they will take on the winner of the Eliminator match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals.