Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) surged into the final of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 with an impressive 36-run victory against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Qualifier 2 at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium. Opting to bat after being put in by RR, SRH posted a formidable total of 175, a score that their bowlers defended adeptly, delivering a performance that ensured a memorable triumph.
Upon RR winning the toss and electing to field, SRH’s batsmen showcased their aggressive gameplay, which has been a trademark throughout the tournament. Despite the early setbacks in the powerplay, SRH’s intent remained unwavering. Trent Boult, spearheading the bowling attack for RR, inflicted early damage. Abhishek Sharma began with assertive strokes—a six over mid-wicket followed by a four—but Boult retaliated immediately, inducing a mistimed shot from Sharma that was comfortably caught on the off-side.
Travis Head, playing cautiously at the onset, partnered with Rahul Tripathi, who took charge at the other end. Tripathi exhibited an aggressive approach, targeting all bowlers. Against R Ashwin, Tripathi cracked a four through third-man, albeit fortuitously. Boult, returning to the fray, was met with boundaries. On Ashwin’s reappearance, Tripathi continued his onslaught with consecutive boundaries and a six. Boult’s comeback was met with a six and a four before Tripathi fell, guiding a slower ball to short third-man. Tripathi’s robust 37 off 15 had given SRH’s innings significant momentum.
Boult struck again soon after, dismissing SRH captain Aiden Markram, caught at short third-man by Yuzvendra Chahal, leaving SRH at 57 for three after five overs. Head and Heinrich Klaasen then took on the rebuilding process. Klaasen found form, dispatching Chahal for a six over mid-wicket, while Head got his first boundary in the sixth over against Sandeep Sharma. However, Head’s cautious efforts ended, edging Sandeep to third-man.
RR bowlers kept making inroads, stifling SRH’s momentum in the last 10 overs. Avesh Khan’s double-wicket strike in the 14th over saw Nitish Reddy reverse-sweep a catch to third-man, marking Chahal’s third catch, and Abdul Samad was bowled first ball.
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Klaasen’s resilient knock lifted SRH from 120 for six to a challenging total. Shahbaz Ahmed, introduced as an Impact Player, chipped in with 18 valuable runs. Klaasen’s fifty came off 33 balls, steering SRH towards 175 for nine. Among RR’s bowlers, Sandeep Sharma (two for 25) and Avesh Khan (three for 27) were economical, while Boult also claimed three wickets.
In pursuit of 176, RR’s Yashaswi Jaiswal appeared in fine touch, hitting Bhuvneshwar Kumar over mid-wicket for a six in the opening over. Despite an early wicket—Tom Kohler-Cadmore dismissed by Pat Cummins—Jaiswal’s aggressive batting kept RR in the hunt. He opened up in Bhuvneshwar’s second over, smashing three fours and a six, propelling RR to 51 for one at the powerplay’s conclusion.
However, the middle overs saw SRH’s spinners seizing control. Shahbaz’s breakthrough came with Jaiswal’s dismissal for 42, caught deep off Shahbaz in the eighth over. Abhishek Sharma joined the attack, dismissing Sanju Samson, caught at deep mid-wicket by Markram.
The pressure escalated as SRH’s spinners tightened their hold. Shahbaz’s impactful 12th over saw him remove Riyan Parag and R Ashwin, leaving RR reeling at 80 for five. SRH’s clampdown thwarted RR’s recovery efforts. Shimron Hetmyer, introduced as an Impact Player, and Rovman Powell were stifled, squandering opportunities to counterattack.
Only Dhruv Jurel showed resistance, managing a commendable knock under pressure. His fifty off 26 balls in the penultimate over came too late as SRH had already cemented their path to victory.
Shahbaz and Abhishek, the key spinners, played pivotal roles, sharing five wickets while conceding just 47 runs in their combined eight overs. This dominant performance secured SRH a rematch of Qualifier 1, setting the stage for a title clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday in Chennai.