Win Projections to be updated soon
The KKR advanced to the IPL 2024 Final thanks to a strong showing in Qualifier 1. The team captained by Shreyas Iyer proved to be exceptional with the ball as well, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets to get to their fourth competition final ever. The pyrotechnics were ignited earlier in the day by Mitchell Starc, and they concluded when Iyer hit back-to-back sixes to help KKR advance to the summit battle.
It’s interesting to note that they may have lost the game because Pat Cummins chose to bat first after winning the toss. In the ODI World Cup final on November 19, 2023, Cummins made the bold decision to bowl first against India. However, on the same field, he made a mistake as dew ultimately played a big role.
In the powerplay, Starc claimed three wickets thanks to his outstanding new ball play. The Australian international has received criticism for his lackluster season thus far, but he came through in Qualifier 1 to give KKR a strong start. But when Heinrich Klaasen batted with Rahul Tripathi, SRH gained some momentum. Although they healed nicely, Klaasen was unable to achieve anything.
Shortly afterward, after reaching 55 off 35 balls, Tripathi returned to the pavilion because of a misunderstanding with Abdul Samad. Wickets crumbled like a house of cards after that. Even though Pat Cummins gave it his all in the end, SRH was only able to score 160 runs.
With their aggressive style of cricket, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sunil Narine provided KKR the ideal start and the much-needed momentum. None of them was able to capitalize on it, though, but the two-time champs handled it with ease. They won it rather easily thanks to strikes from Venkatesh Iyer (51* off 28 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (58* off 24 balls).
1. Mitch-hell Starc destroys the might of SRH
This year, Hyderabad’s opening duo has been their greatest asset. But as Mitchell Starc wrecked havoc, neither Travis Head nor Abhishek Sharma could leave their mark. Head was out of the game after just three runs were made by Sharma in the second ball of the game. In the powerplay, Starc also got rid of Nitish Reddy, and it seemed to decide the match. SRH made every effort, but they were unable to overcome the anger.
2. The bravery and heartbreak of Tripathi
Tripathi did not slow down even after losing four wickets in the powerplay. He came through for SRH during a particularly trying moment, scoring a half-century to help them out. Tripathi maintained his strike rate despite the team losing a lot of wickets, which is a huge gain. But his day didn’t end well because the cricket player was run out, and he appeared to be in complete despair.
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3. For KKR, the Iyer brothers prevail.
For KKR, Shreyas Iyer’s form was a major worry. The skipper performed admirably in spurts, but he lacked consistency. But he came through for KKR when they needed him, hitting a stunning half-century to win the match. On the other hand, Venkatesh Iyer delivered another devastating blow. At one point, he let Shreyas Iyer settle in and take care of business; the two then put an end to the match with some scorching hits.
Losing skipper Pat Cummins said:
Yeah we will try to put this behind quickly, good thing we will have a crack at it (second qualifier). You have those days in T20 cricket where things doesn’t quite work out. We weren’t where we wanted with the bat and obviously couldn’t do much with the ball. Felt that extra batting was important (picking the impact sub) on this wicket. Thought KKR bowled really well, there was a little bit in it early on and the surface got better. We all have played enough cricket, and going to a new venue (Chennai) helps us as well, so we gotta keep this behind and move on.
Winning skipper 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. I think the way every bowler stood up to this occasion, the way they came in and took wickets, that was imperative.
The attitude and approach of all bowlers was to take wickets and they did. When you have a variety in the bowling line-up, it’s mesmerising. They have been true in terms of their work ethics, hopefully we keep performing. It was Gurbaz’s first game and he gave an impactful start. We had to make sure we carry forward the same run rate. I don’t know tamil, I understand. Venky speaks in tamil, I reply in hindi. We need to be in our zone in the final.
POTM Mitchell Starc said:
We know how important the powerplay is. These were the two sides who have dominated in the powerplay. We needed to pick early wickets. The way Head and Abhishek have been playing, they like width and free their arms. The spinners were effective and the whole bowling department was bang on. Got lucky I guess (Head) was nice to see his back early, not always the case. They are exciting to watch and are talented, they are skillful. It’s good to see how they hard they train. Harshit has been phenomenal.
India
