Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) claimed the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title with a stunning all-round performance in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This venue holds a special place for KKR fans, as it was here in 2012 that the team won their first IPL trophy. On May 26, 2024, KKR made history again, lifting their third trophy with an emphatic victory. The KKR bowlers were exceptional, limiting the explosive SRH batting lineup to a mere 113 runs, which was then chased down in just 10.3 overs with eight wickets to spare.
At the toss, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer revealed he would have opted to bowl first – a decision made easier when SRH won the toss and chose to bat. The KKR bowlers justified their captain’s preference with a commanding performance, spearheaded by Mitchell Starc, who had previously earned Player of the Match honors against SRH in Ahmedabad.
Abhishek Sharma opened the batting for SRH instead of Travis Head, setting the stage for Starc to exploit. Starc immediately troubled Abhishek with movement and accuracy. In the very first over, he delivered what could be described as one of the balls of the tournament. A delivery that pitched around the middle-stump and deviated slightly, resulting in Abhishek being bowled, leaving SRH at six for two and dealing a critical early blow.
Building on Starc’s breakthrough, Vaibhav Arora produced further magic with the ball. Travis Head came in next and faced an equally menacing Arora. The left-hander edged an away-swinging ball to the wicketkeeper on his first delivery, further crippling the SRH innings.
Given the early setbacks, SRH found scoring increasingly difficult. KKR stuck with their opening bowlers through the powerplay, not allowing SRH to settle. SRH managed their first boundary only in the third over. Starc wasn’t finished yet and returned in the fifth over to send Rahul Tripathi packing, who skied a ball to mid-wicket while attempting a lofted shot.
A glimmer of hope appeared for SRH in the sixth over, when they managed to score 17 runs off Arora, courtesy of Nitish Reddy, who also hit the first six of SRH’s innings. However, the middle overs were dominated by KKR as their bowlers backed Starc and Arora’s early efforts. Andre Russell and Harshit Rana continued the demolition by claiming crucial wickets. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy further tightened the screws with their economical spells.
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Reddy soon fell to a sharp catch behind the stumps off Rana’s bowling. Russell then dismissed SRH captain Aiden Markram for 20, caught at long-on by Starc. Shahbaz Ahmed, coming in next, was caught at short fine-leg off Chakaravarthy’s bowling. The wickets continued to tumble as Abdul Samad, brought in as an impact player, was also caught behind off Russell. Rana then delivered a significant blow by bowling Heinrich Klaasen in the 15th over – by which time SRH hadn’t even reached a hundred runs.
Pat Cummins was the lone warrior for SRH, pushing their score to three figures. Cummins, who was dropped by Starc at long-on, ultimately top-scored with 24 runs. Ironically, the SRH innings concluded when Cummins holed out to Starc at long-on in the 19th over.
KKR’s response was swift and decisive. Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone by hitting the second ball of the innings for four. Pat Cummins, opening the attack for SRH, bowled to Sunil Narine, who hit a six off the first ball but was caught while attempting another big shot.
Despite this early wicket, KKR maintained momentum. Venkatesh Iyer took charge, hitting Bhuvneshwar Kumar for two sixes and a four in the very next over. The aggressive batting helped KKR reach 50 inside five overs. Gurbaz played a more conservative role while Venkatesh was relentless, smashing three fours and a six off T Natarajan to cap off the powerplay. KKR stood at a dominating 72 for one at this stage.
After the powerplay, Gurbaz accelerated his scoring against the spinners, propelling KKR beyond the 100-run mark within nine overs. Though Gurbaz fell for 39, the target was well within reach.
The Iyer brothers, Shreyas and Venkatesh, ensured there were no further hiccups. Venkatesh reached his half-century in only 24 balls and struck the winning runs in the next over. The KKR players erupted in joy as they stormed the field to celebrate their third IPL title, marking a historic day in the league’s annals.