In a remarkable display of all-round excellence, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title by overpowering Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This emphatic victory marked KKR’s third IPL trophy, rekindling memories of their maiden win at the same venue in 2012. On May 26, 2024, history repeated itself as KKR demolished SRH’s batting line-up, restricting them to a meager 113, a target chased down with eight wickets to spare in just 10.3 overs.
The match started with SRH winning the toss and opting to bat first, a decision that played right into KKR’s hands. KKR captain Shreyas Iyer expressed his preference to bowl first, a strategy that was mirrored by his bowlers’ stunning performance. Mitchell Starc, the Player of the Match from their previous encounter in Ahmedabad, spearheaded the attack with precision and venom.
Opening the bowling, Starc immediately set the tone for the innings. Abhishek Sharma took the strike, replacing Travis Head, who had opened in the Qualifier 1. Starc’s first over was a masterclass in swing bowling, producing a gem of a delivery that pitched on middle-stump and shaped away slightly, uprooting the prolific Sharma’s off-stump. This early breakthrough put KKR in the driver’s seat.
Vaibhav Arora followed Starc’s lead with an equally impressive spell. Facing his first ball, Travis Head edged Arora’s outswinger to the wicketkeeper, leaving SRH reeling at six for two. The dream start for KKR had effectively dismantled SRH’s formidable opening pair, setting the stage for a low-scoring affair.
Runs were hard to come by as KKR’s opening bowlers maintained relentless pressure during the powerplay. It wasn’t until the third over that SRH managed their first boundary. Starc, not satisfied with his initial impact, returned in the fifth over to claim the wicket of Rahul Tripathi, who mistimed a pull shot to mid-wicket.
SRH found brief relief in the sixth over, as Nitish Reddy struck the first six of their innings off Vaibhav Arora. However, this was a mere respite in an otherwise torrid start. The middle overs saw KKR’s bowlers continue to dictate terms.
. Andre Russell and Harshit Rana delivered crucial wicket-taking spells, while Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy suffocated the SRH batsmen with disciplined, economical bowling.
Reddy’s resistance was cut short by Rana soon after the powerplay, caught behind while attempting to rebuild. SRH captain Aiden Markram, who scored 20, was dismissed by Russell, caught by Starc at long-on. By this time, SRH was dangerously close to collapsing without even reaching the hundred-run mark.
Shahbaz Ahmed’s brief innings ended prematurely, as he was caught at short fine-leg off Varun Chakaravarthy. Abdul Samad, brought in as an impact player, failed to impact the scoreboard significantly and was caught behind off Russell. Heinrich Klaasen, one of SRH’s last hopes, was bowled by Harshit Rana in the 15th over, leaving SRH’s total under 100 at that stage.
Pat Cummins played a lone hand towards the end, managing to take SRH past 100 and finishing as the top-scorer with 24 runs. Ironically, Cummins’ fighting innings ended when he hit a catch to Starc at long-on in the 19th over, epitomizing SRH’s struggling innings.
KKR’s chase began aggressively with Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashing the second ball through point for a boundary. Cummins attempted to steady the ship for SRH with the ball, but Narine, after hitting a six off the first ball of the second over, perished while attempting another big hit. Venkatesh Iyer, however, ensured there was no dip in scoring, hitting two sixes and a four in the subsequent over, signaling KKR’s aggressive intent.
KKR raced to fifty runs inside five overs, with Gurbaz playing a controlled innings while Venkatesh Iyer accelerated. The last over of the powerplay, bowled by T Natarajan, saw Venkatesh unleash a series of boundaries. KKR ended the powerplay in a commanding position at 72 for one.
Post-powerplay, Gurbaz shifted gears against the spinners, propelling KKR past the 100-run mark within nine overs. With victory in sight, Gurbaz was dismissed for a well-made 39, but his dismissal did little to halt KKR’s charge.
The Iyer duo of Shreyas and Venkatesh sealed the victory, with Venkatesh reaching his half-century in just 24 balls. He fittingly hit the winning runs, sending the KKR camp into rapturous celebrations. Clinching their third IPL title, KKR once again proved their mettle as a formidable force in the TATA IPL 2024.