In a thrilling encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured a dominant victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to book their place in the final of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. KKR overpowered SRH by eight wickets, showcasing a clinical performance with both bat and ball. This marks KKR’s fourth appearance in the IPL final and their first since 2021.
The excitement began with the toss, which SRH captain Pat Cummins won, opting to bat first. With a dynamic batting line-up that had been the talk of the season, SRH seemed confident. Mitchell Starc took the new ball for KKR, ready to challenge the SRH batsmen. The action started immediately; on only the second delivery, Starc bowled a superb ball that dismantled Travis Head’s stumps, giving KKR an early breakthrough.
The powerplay was action-packed. SRH players, determined to regain ground, displayed their aggressive style of play, while KKR relentlessly sought wickets. Amidst this battle, Rahul Tripathi stood out for SRH, attacking the KKR bowlers fearlessly. However, SRH’s top-order struggled, losing three more wickets rapidly. Abhishek Sharma fell in the second over, caught at cover off Vaibhav Arora’s delivery. Starc returned to claim two more crucial wickets in the fifth over – Nitish Reddy top-edged to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Shahbaz Ahmed, batting at No. 6, chopped on to his stumps first ball. This left SRH reeling at 39 for four in five overs.
Despite the early collapse, SRH found hope in a resilient partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and Tripathi. Over six overs, the pair added 61 runs, injecting momentum into SRH’s innings. Klaasen, in particular, took on Sunil Narine in the ninth over, hitting him for 18 runs, including a monstrous six. Tripathi continued the assault, reaching his fifty in the 11th over with a reverse-sweep for four off Varun Chakaravarthy, showcasing his ability to maintain a brisk scoring rate under pressure.
However, KKR’s bowlers soon regained control. Klaasen was caught at deep mid-wicket by Rinku Singh for 32, and Abdul Samad, who began aggressively by hitting Narine for a six, was involved in a mix-up that led to Tripathi’s unfortunate run-out for 55.
. At 121 for six, SRH was in a perilous position. Captain Pat Cummins tried to salvage the innings with a gritty 30 off 24 balls, helping SRH push their total past 150. He found some late boundaries, spoiling Starc’s figures by hitting him for a four and six in the last over. Cummins’ effort ended in the last over, as SRH concluded their innings at 159. Starc finished with notable figures of three for 34, while Chakaravarthy exhibited excellent control, securing two wickets for 26 runs.
KKR’s chase was aggressive from the onset. A line-up tweak saw Gurbaz opening with Narine. Gurbaz made his presence felt immediately, hitting the second ball for four. SRH’s Cummins faced intense pressure, with Narine striking two consecutive fours off his bowling, followed by a top-edged six from Gurbaz over third-man. The aggressive stance continued against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan, with KKR racing to 63 runs in the powerplay.
Natarajan finally broke the opening partnership in the fourth over, catching Gurbaz for 23 as he attempted an expansive shot over cover. However, Venkatesh Iyer maintained the attacking momentum with powerful shots. Narine’s brief but impactful inning ended at 21, caught at deep square-leg off Cummins’ bowling.
The Iyers, Shreyas and Venkatesh, then anchored the chase. Both showed remarkable composure, quickly adapting to the required run rate yet not shying away from their natural aggressive play. SRH had a tough time on the field, their woes compounded by losing both reviews early and dropping crucial catches. Venkatesh’s innings was a masterclass in power-hitting, reaching his fifty with a mighty pull over mid-wicket off Nitish, off just 28 balls.
Shreyas matched his partner’s flair, bringing up his own half-century in style with a series of boundaries, wrapping up the chase in emphatic fashion. His final stroke was a towering six over long-on, sealing KKR’s victory in just 13.4 overs with 38 balls to spare.
With this commanding win, KKR now set their sights on the IPL title clash, while SRH will have one more chance to reach the final as they await the winner of the Eliminator between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals.