In a thrilling conclusion to the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) asserted their dominance with a comprehensive victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final showdown at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The historic stadium, which witnessed KKR’s maiden IPL title win in 2012, served as the backdrop for their emphatic triumph on May 26, 2024, as KKR lifted their third IPL trophy. Demonstrating unrivaled prowess in both bowling and batting, KKR restricted SRH to a modest total of 113 runs, a target they chased down effortlessly in just 10.3 overs, losing only two wickets along the way.
The drama of the final started with the crucial toss, won by SRH, who opted to bat first. KKR captain Shreyas Iyer, preferring to bowl, put his faith in his bowlers and was duly rewarded. Leading the charge was the formidable Mitchell Starc, returning to the side as the Player of the Match from their previous encounter in Ahmedabad.
Starc set the tone from the outset with his lethal pace bowling, dismissing Abhishek Sharma in the very first over with a delivery that was arguably one of the best of the tournament. The ball, with its subtle movement, managed to clip the top of the off-stump, leaving the prolific SRH opener baffled. Starc’s magic sparked confidence amongst the KKR bowlers, as Vaibhav Arora followed suit with a brilliant display. Arora ousted Travis Head, who was also dismissed for a duck with a delivery that found a faint edge to the wicketkeeper, marking a dramatic fall at six for two.
With early jolts delivered by the KKR seamers, runs were hard to come by for SRH. KKR persisted with their opening pair through the powerplay, providing no respite to the SRH batsmen. Starc’s menace continued in his subsequent overs, with Rahul Tripathi succumbing to a miscued shot that landed comfortably in the hands of mid-wicket.
While SRH looked to pick up the pace, a brief respite came during the sixth over – bowled by Arora – as Nitish Reddy hammered the first six of their innings. However, the respite was short-lived as Andre Russell and Harshit Rana further dismantled SRH’s efforts with effective spells that added to the damage.
. Renowned spinners Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy also joined the fray with economical bowling performances that stifled any attempts at recovery by SRH.
Reddy’s innings came to an abrupt end with a dismissal by Rana after the powerplay, and an impressive Russell dismissed SRH captain Aiden Markram for 20 with a clever delivery. As SRH struggled to build partnerships, Shahbaz Ahmed fell early to Chakaravarthy, and the team’s impact player, Abdul Samad, was caught behind off Russell’s bowling. Rana sealed SRH’s dismal fate by bowling Heinrich Klaasen in the 15th over, ensuring that SRH hadn’t even breached the 100-run mark.
Despite the consistent tumbling of wickets, Pat Cummins stood resolutely, managing to drag SRH to a three-figure score with a top score of 24 for his team. An interesting moment unfolded when Starc, after dropping Cummins at long-on, later caught him at the same position to conclude SRH’s innings in the 19th over.
KKR’s reply was nothing short of a spectacle with Rahmanullah Gurbaz setting the momentum by striking his second ball to the boundary. Pat Cummins, handed the challenge of curbing the onslaught, was met with Narine’s six over mid-wicket on the very first ball he bowled. Narine, though, was soon caught out on the leg-side attempting another explosive hit. Yet, any nervousness was quickly allayed by Venkatesh Iyer’s display of power-hitting in the next over, where he launched two sixes and a four against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, signaling KKR’s unyielding approach.
KKR’s cricketers barely took their foot off the accelerator, reaching a fifty-plus score within the first five overs. Gurbaz, initially more restrained, upped the aggression post-powerplay as KKR faced SRH’s spinners. Together, Gurbaz and Iyer formed a formidable partnership, bringing KKR within touching distance of victory. Gurbaz departed for an agile 39, but by then, victory was all but secured.
The final moments were scripted by the Iyer duo, with Venkatesh reaching his half-century in just 24 balls, emphasizing his orchestration of the chase. Fittingly, Venkatesh also secured the winning runs, catapulting KKR to their illustrious third title as exuberant celebrations erupted on the field, marking a truly memorable finale to the IPL 2024 season.