In a spectacular display of cricketing skills, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clinched the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title with a commanding all-round performance against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final held at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This victory, secured on May 26, 2024, marked KKR’s third IPL title, echoing their maiden triumph at the same ground in 2012.
At the toss, it was SRH who won and opted to bat first, much to the slight dismay of KKR’s captain Shreyas Iyer, who expressed a preference for bowling given the pitch conditions. Nevertheless, Iyer’s bowlers vindicated his trust with an exceptional display, restricting SRH’s formidable batting line-up to a mere 113 runs. This paltry target was effortlessly chased down by KKR in just 10.3 overs, losing only two wickets in the process.
Leading the charge with the ball was Mitchell Starc, the previous match’s Player of the Match, who created immediate impact. Opening the bowling, he swung the ball beautifully, creating significant challenges for SRH’s Abhishek Sharma right from the first over. Shaping the ball impeccably, one delivery in particular from Starc stood out – pitching around middle stump and moving away just enough to shatter Abhishek’s defenses and clatter the top of off stump.
With SRH stumbling early, Vaibhav Arora kept the pressure on. He mirrored Starc’s fiery start by dismissing Travis Head with an edge to the wicketkeeper on the very first ball Head faced. Suddenly, at a precarious six runs for two wickets, SRH’s most dreaded openers were back in the pavilion, stunned by KKR’s lethal opening spell.
Runs were scarce as KKR’s opening bowlers maintained an iron grip throughout the powerplay. Starc returned to claim his second wicket by dismissing Rahul Tripathi, who miscued a pull shot and was caught at mid-wicket. A brief respite for SRH came in the form of Nitish Reddy’s aggressive sixth over, which yielded 17 runs, including the first six of their innings.
KKR’s bowlers continued to dominate in the middle overs as Harshit Rana and Andre Russell chipped in with crucial wickets. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy’s contributions couldn’t be understated as they kept the scoring rate in check with miserly spells. Reddy fell to Rana soon after the powerplay ended.
. Markram, the SRH skipper, managed to score 20 runs before he too was sent back by Russell, caught by Starc at long-on while attempting to accelerate the innings.
Further tightening their grip, KKR struck again as Shahbaz Ahmed was caught at short fine-leg off Chakaravarthy’s bowling, and Abdul Samad, brought in as the impact player, fell to Russell. The biggest blow for SRH came when Heinrich Klaasen, their key middle-order batsman, was clean bowled by Rana in the 15th over, leaving SRH struggling under the triple-digit mark.
Pat Cummins stood as the lone warrior, fighting valiantly to get SRH to a respectable score. Though dropped once by Starc, Cummins couldn’t capitalize enough, eventually top-scoring with 24 runs before finally falling – ironically to Starc – in the 19th over as he found the Australian pacer at long-on.
KKR’s chase was nothing short of a demolition job. The fireworks began right from the second ball of their innings as Rahmanullah Gurbaz carved it for four through the point. Though Sunil Narine struck a quickfire six in his brief stay, he was caught attempting another big hit. This brief setback was quickly overshadowed by the dominant show put on by Venkatesh Iyer, who attacked with venom.
Iyer embarked on a rampage in the third over, taking Bhuvneshwar Kumar apart with two sixes and a four. His aggressive intent saw KKR speeding to fifty inside the powerplay, finishing the first six overs at an imposing 72 for one. Gurbaz played the anchor role, turning aggressive post powerplay as SRH’s spinners struggled to contain him.
With the target in sight, Venkatesh Iyer achieved his half-century in a mere 24 balls. KKR crossed the 100-run mark in under nine overs with Gurbaz contributing valuable 39 runs. The final touch came in the next over when Iyer hit the winning runs, sparking wild celebrations among the KKR players and fans alike.
This victory was not just a testament to KKR’s cricketing prowess but also a reflection of their resilience and strategic excellence throughout the tournament. Their third IPL title win cements their legacy as one of the formidable teams in the league’s history.