Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clinched the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title with a dominating all-round performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Remarkably, KKR had first won the title at the same venue back in 2012, and on May 26, 2024, they orchestrated a remarkable encore to lift their third trophy. KKR’s bowlers were instrumental in restricting the dangerous SRH batting line-up to a mere 113 runs, which was chased down effortlessly in only 10.3 overs with eight wickets remaining.
During the toss, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer expressed his intention to bowl first, although SRH won the toss and opted to bat. The KKR bowlers, however, lived up to their captain’s expectations with an impressive and authoritative display, beginning with a sterling performance from Mitchell Starc, who was also the Player of the Match the last time these teams met in Ahmedabad.
In light of the events of Qualifier 1, SRH opened with Abhishek Sharma facing the first ball instead of Travis Head, and Starc seizing the new ball. Starc’s sharp bowling immediately posed problems for Sharma in his opening over. On the fifth ball, Starc delivered what could be described as one of the balls of the tournament: it pitched around middle-stump and gently shaped away, leaving Sharma squared up and hitting the top of off stump.
Encouraged by Starc’s stellar over, Vaibhav Arora followed with his magic. When Head confronted his first delivery, Arora managed to shape the ball away, inducing an edge to the wicketkeeper. This left SRH reeling at 6 for 2, a significant blow considering the batting prowess of their opening pair.
With early setbacks hampering progress, SRH found runs difficult to come by as KKR persisted with their opening bowlers in the powerplay. It wasn’t until the third over that SRH managed their first boundary. Starc returned in the fifth over to further disarray SRH, dismissing Rahul Tripathi as he misjudged a shot and skied it to mid-wicket.
SRH found brief solace in the sixth over of the powerplay when they managed to plunder 17 runs off Arora. Nitish Reddy marked the first six of the innings in this over. However, the middle overs saw KKR’s bowlers fortify their stronghold, with Andre Russell and Harshit Rana delivering wicket-taking spells. Tight and economical bowling from Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy further choked the SRH innings.
Post powerplay, Reddy was caught behind off Rana.
. Russell then continued to wreak havoc, dismissing Aiden Markram for 20 as he holed out to Starc at long-on. Shahbaz Ahmed fell early in his innings, caught at short fine-leg courtesy of Chakaravarthy’s bowling. KKR maintained their grip as Abdul Samad, utilized as an impact player, was caught behind off Russell.
Perhaps the defining moment came when Rana bowled Heinrich Klaasen in the 15th over, leaving SRH struggling to reach even 100 runs. Pat Cummins made a valiant effort towards the end, becoming the top scorer with 24 runs. Despite being dropped by Starc at long-on, Cummins could not evade him twice—the innings concluded when Cummins was caught by Starc in the 19th over.
Chasing a modest total, KKR commenced assertively. Rahmanullah Gurbaz struck the second ball to the boundary, setting an aggressive tone. Cummins, bowling the second over, was greeted by Narine smashing the first ball over mid-wicket for a six. Attempting to clear the ground again, Narine was dismissed as he got a top-edge and was caught on the leg-side. However, KKR’s momentum remained undeterred when Venkatesh Iyer punished Bhuvneshwar Kumar with two sixes and a four in the next over.
The chase accelerated rapidly with KKR’s fifty coming up within five overs. While Gurbaz remained relatively composed, Venkatesh displayed urgency. The last over of the powerplay, bowled by T Natarajan, was attacked for three fours and a six, allowing KKR to amass 72 for one.
Post powerplay, Gurbaz shifted into an aggressive gear against the spinners, steering KKR past the 100-run mark within nine overs. Although he was dismissed for 39, KKR were well on course to victory.
The Iyer duo, with Venkatesh leading, guided KKR to their crowning glory. Venkatesh reached his half-century off only 24 balls as the target loomed near. He struck the winning runs in the following over, sparking jubilant celebrations on the field as KKR players rushed to celebrate their triumphant third IPL title.