The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) delivered a commanding performance in Chennai to seize the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title, overpowering the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in a one-sided final at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium. This victory marks KKR’s third championship win, their first since their celebrated triumph on the same ground in 2012. The finals on May 26, 2024, saw the Knight Riders exert control with their impressive bowling attack, confining SRH’s batting line-up to a modest total of 113 runs, which KKR chased down effortlessly within 10.3 overs while preserving eight wickets.
The toss saw SRH opting to bat first, a decision that KKR captain Shreyas Iyer admitted he would have made as well, preferring to bowl. His bowlers justified his confidence with a display of excellence starting with a crucial first over delivered by Mitchell Starc, the Player of the Match when these teams last met in Ahmedabad. Starc struck early, displaying adept control and swing, causing trouble for SRH’s openers. In a stunning delivery that veered slightly from around the middle-stump, Starc dismissed SRH’s prolific opener Abhishek Sharma, knocking the top of off-stump.
Emboldened by the opening success, fellow bowler Vaibhav Arora mirrored Starc’s magic, as he removed Travis Head with his first ball. Head, one of the season’s most daunting batsmen, was caught by the wicketkeeper after edging a delivery that shaped precariously away from him. KKR found themselves off to a flying start, having dismantled the SRH’s formidable opening pair for just six runs.
The initial setbacks for SRH transitioned into a broader challenge as KKR’s bowlers sustained pressure throughout the powerplay. Runs came sparingly, with SRH earning their first boundary only in the third over. Starc returned to wreak further havoc in the fifth over, dismissing Rahul Tripathi who misjudged a lofted shot to mid-wicket.
Although Nitish Reddy momentarily lifted SRH spirits with the first six of their innings in the sixth over off Arora, KKR’s bowlers held their nerve. Andre Russell and Harshit Rana intensified the pressure with wicket-taking spells, while spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy maintained economical lines. Reddy soon fell to Rana’s bowling after the powerplay, compounding SRH’s struggles.
. Russell accounted for the dismissal of SRH captain Aiden Markram, who was caught for a brisk 20 at long-on by Starc.
With Shahbaz Ahmed departing early to a short fine-leg catch off Chakaravarthy’s bowling and Abdul Samad succumbing to Russell, the SRH innings staggered. Rana delivered a telling blow by bowling Heinrich Klaasen in the 15th over, leaving SRH short of a century. Pat Cummins, amid these troubles, attempted to rally his side’s batting with a gritty top score of 24, extending the innings slightly after a let-off when Starc dropped him at long-on. Ironically, SRH’s innings concluded with Cummins finding Starc at the same position once more in the 19th over.
KKR commenced their chase in a confident manner. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz opened the boundaries with a stroke through point within the second ball. Pat Cummins’s attempt to restrict the chase faltered when Narine dispatched him for a towering six over mid-wicket, though Narine fell soon after to a catch on the leg side. Nonetheless, any nerves KKR had were quickly dispelled as Venkatesh Iyer took charge, striking two sixes off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and a four, showcasing aggressive play through the powerplay.
Rapidly accumulating runs, KKR surpassed fifty runs before five overs concluded. While Gurbaz played a more measured role, it was Venkatesh who accelerated the innings notably, punishing T Natarajan by hitting three fours and a six in the final over of the powerplay. Dominating particularly on the leg-side muscle, Venkatesh steered KKR to a robust 72 for one at the powerplay’s end.
Gurbaz, post-powerplay, elevated his scoring, helping take KKR past the century mark within nine overs as the spinners took charge. He was eventually dismissed for 39, nearing the target. The Iyer brothers, Venkatesh and Shreyas, poised the team towards completing their triumphant pursuit. Venkatesh notched his half-century in just 24 balls and sealed the victory in the ensuing over, sparking celebrations from his jubilant teammates who streamed onto the field to revel in KKR’s victorious ascent to their third IPL title.