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. This venue holds special significance for KKR as it was here in 2012 that they clinched their maiden IPL title. On May 26, 2024, KKR showcased their prowess once again, lifting their third trophy in grand fashion. The KKR bowlers shined brightly, successfully restricting the formidable SRH batting line-up to a mere 113 runs, which the KKR batters chased down with ease in just 10.3 overs and with eight wickets in hand.
At the toss, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer expressed that he would have opted to bowl first. SRH captain, however, won the toss and chose to bat. KKR’s bowlers vindicated Iyer’s strategy with a stellar performance, starting with Mitchell Starc. Starc, who had previously bagged the Player of the Match award when these teams met in Ahmedabad, spearheaded KKR’s attack with compelling efficiency.
The match’s very first over saw SRH’s Abhishek Sharma facing Starc, who delivered one of the tournament’s finest balls. The ball pitched around middle stump and moved away just enough to hit the top of off stump, uprooting Sharma’s bails and setting the tone for KKR’s dominance. Following Starc’s impressive start, Vaibhav Arora joined the attack and further disintegrated SRH’s top order. Travis Head’s first delivery faced resulted in an edge straight to the wicketkeeper due to Arora’s perfectly shaped delivery. By the second over, SRH was reeling at six for two, having lost their aggressive opening duo.
The early dismissals stifled SRH’s run flow, and KKR bowlers capitalized on this with relentless precision. SRH could muster their first boundary only in the third over. Starc, determined to keep the pressure on SRH, returned in the fifth over, removing Rahul Tripathi who, in attempting a big shot, could merely sky the ball to mid-wicket.
Although SRH found some temporary respite, garnering 17 runs off the sixth over bowled by Arora, SRH’s Nitish Reddy managed to hit the first six of the innings. Yet, KKR’s bowlers continued to tighten the screws in the middle overs. Andre Russell and Harshit Rana’s spells dealt further blows to SRH’s chances. Meanwhile, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy delivered economical overs, ensuring no easy runs were given.
.
Rana struck after the powerplay, claiming Reddy’s wicket caught behind. Russell dismissed Aiden Markram for 20 runs, with Starc catching him at long-on. Shahbaz Ahmed fell early to Varun Chakaravarthy at short fine-leg. Abdul Samad, brought in as the impact player, was caught behind thanks to Russell’s clever bowling. The most significant blow to SRH came when Heinrich Klaasen was bowled by Rana in the 15th over, long before SRH could even cross the 100-run mark.
Pat Cummins provided a glimmer of hope for SRH, fighting till the end. Cummins top-scored for SRH with 24 runs, extending their innings marginally. Notably, Cummins was dropped by Starc at long-on but eventually, the innings concluded with Cummins finding Starc yet again in the 19th over.
KKR’s chase was positively unwavering from the outset. Opening batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone by hitting the second ball through point for four. In the second over, Narine hammered a six over mid-wicket, although his attempt to replicate this shot on the next ball resulted in a top edge caught on the leg-side.
Venkatesh Iyer quickly dispelled any nerves KKR might have had by hitting two sixes and a four in the next over. The sixes, lofted down the ground off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, were a declaration of intent. The chase accelerated, with KKR’s fifty coming up in less than five overs. Gurbaz played a steady role as Venkatesh unleashed his attacking prowess, plundering runs through the leg-side. KKR ended the powerplay on 72 for one.
Post powerplay, the entry of spinners saw Gurbaz changing gears, which propelled KKR past the 100-run mark in just nine overs. Although Gurbaz fell for 39, KKR’s victory was imminent.
The Iyer duo, with Venkatesh Iyer central to the effort, guided KKR to the finish line. Venkatesh reached his half-century off just 24 balls and hit the winning runs shortly thereafter. The victory sent the KKR players rushing onto the field in jubilation as they celebrated their third IPL title, reinforcing their status as a heavyweight in IPL history.