KKR beat SRH to reach IPL 2024 final
Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets on Tuesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, advancing to the IPL 2024 final. With 38 balls remaining, KKR completed the 160-run chase, with captain Shreyas Iyer scoring 58 not out off 24 balls.
SRH, who finished second in the league stage of IPL 2024, will have one more chance to qualify for the final when the Pat Cummins-led team will face the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2. The Rajasthan Royals face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator on Wednesday.
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This is the Knight Riders’ fourth IPL final appearance. Sunrisers were blown away by Starc’s powerplay brilliance, and they never recovered as Kolkata combo Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer blasted magnificent fifties to smash the 160-run target in just 13.4 overs.
The two-time winners finished seventh in the points table last year, but Gautam Gambhir’s return as coach helped them bounce back in spectacular fashion this season.
Chasing 160 on a favorable batting wicket, Kolkata needed a solid start in the Powerplay to gain an advantage, and they delivered. Rahmanullah Gurbaz came in for Phil Salt and plated a quickfire cameo, setting the tone for the innings. Sunil Narine was not at his fluent best, but he kept the scoreboard ticking. The Iyers, Shreyas, and Venkatesh then took control and smashed the ball all over the ground.
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Venkatesh Iyer has been a standout this season, routinely filling in when the opening duo faltered. Shreyas Iyer, with a positive attitude, delivered possibly his finest knock of the tournament just in time for the final, posing a big threat to the opposing squad.
After the win, Player of the Match Mitchell Starc said, “We understand how essential the power play is. These were the two teams who dominated the powerplay with the bat. We needed to take early wickets and go into their middle order. Head and Abhishek prefer width and free their arms, as they have throughout the tournament. We basically attempted to stroke the ball without giving them any breadth.”
Winning captain Shreyas Iyer said, “Elated by the performance, the responsibility was important, we stood for each other, extremely happy with the performances. The rejuvenation was important for us. When you travel so much. It’s important to stay in the present. Today was the day we had to maximise, we did it and that’s what we thrive on.”
