In a remarkable turn of events at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clinched their third TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) title, with a comprehensive victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final held on May 26, 2024. The historic triumph came at the very venue where KKR had previously won their maiden title back in 2012, marking a poetic encore in their IPL journey.
The match began with SRH winning the toss and choosing to bat, a decision that KKR captain Shreyas Iyer mentioned did not disappoint him, as he had preferred to bowl first. The KKR bowlers soon validated their captain’s faith with a sterling performance, making it challenging for the SRH batters to find their footing. Led by the ever-impressive Mitchell Starc, who had previously shone as the Player of the Match in KKR’s earlier encounter with SRH, the team limited SRH to a modest score of 113 runs.
Starc set the tone from the very first over. He took the new ball against Abhishek Sharma, a move reflecting the lessons learned from the Qualifier 1. Starc’s impeccable delivery, one that was arguably among the best of the tournament, got the better of Abhishek and hit the top of off-stump, a dismissal that served as an early blow to SRH. Capitalizing on this early breakthrough, Vaibhav Arora joined the act, dismissing the dangerous Travis Head on his very first ball. At 6 for 2, SRH’s formidable opening pair was back in the pavilion, setting a challenging path for the middle order.
Runs were hard to come by for SRH, and KKR’s bowlers continued to apply relentless pressure. Despite a brief respite in the third over, Starc returned to wreak more havoc in his second over, getting the better of Rahul Tripathi who mishit an attempted big shot.
The powerplay overs proved to be a minefield for SRH, partially relieved only by an expensive over from Arora which yielded 17 runs, courtesy of a six from the bat of Nitish Reddy. Nonetheless, the middle overs brought no relief for SRH as KKR’s Andre Russell and Harshit Rana picked up where Starc and Arora left off. With disciplined and incisive bowling, they snuffed out any chance of a recovery.
Rana dismissed Reddy soon after the powerplay, before Russell sent SRH captain Aiden Markram packing for 20 runs. Markram’s attempt to play a long-on shot only found the safe hands of Starc. Another quick wicket fell when Shahbaz Ahmed was caught at short fine-leg off Varun Chakaravarthy’s bowling, leaving SRH struggling to build any meaningful partnerships.
If the situation wasn’t dire enough, Abdul Samad’s dismissal followed shortly after, as he edged a Russell delivery to the wicketkeeper.
. Rana then struck a significant blow by clean bowling Heinrich Klaasen in the 15th over; SRH was yet to breach the 100-run mark.
Pat Cummins, a key player for SRH, fought valiantly to push the score to a semblance of respectability. Cummins top-scored with 24 runs and extended SRH’s innings after being dropped at long-on by Starc. However, the SRH innings ended poetically as Cummins mistimed a shot that landed safely in the hands of Starc at long-on, ending the innings at 113 in the 19th over.
KKR’s chase was nothing short of a masterclass in efficiency and aggression. Rahmanullah Gurbaz signaled the intent from the second ball, striking it through point for four. Sunil Narine, batting aggressively, smashed Cummins’ first ball for six but was quickly dismissed in an attempt to repeat the shot. This early loss didn’t create any jitters as Venkatesh Iyer took the baton and blasted Bhuvneshwar Kumar for successive sixes and a four in the following over.
With this powerful start, KKR raced to 50 runs within just five overs. Gurbaz played a more measured innings initially, allowing Venkatesh to dominate the scoring. Natarajan’s over yielded three boundaries for Venkatesh, emphasizing his aggressive intent. The powerplay ended with KKR positioned strongly at 72 for one.
The KKR openers continued to cruise towards the target with ease. Gurbaz accelerated his scoring after the powerplay, especially targeting the SRH spinners. By the ninth over, KKR had already crossed into triple figures, firmly in command. Gurbaz eventually fell for a well-made 39, bringing the Iyer duo together to finish the job.
Venkatesh Iyer’s aggressive knock brought him a half-century off just 24 balls, and he hit the winning runs in the subsequent over, ensuring an emphatic victory for KKR. The jubilant KKR players stormed the field, celebrating their third IPL title and a perfect end to their 2024 campaign. This victory won’t just be remembered for the trophy but for the all-round excellence KKR exhibited throughout the final.