In the Final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.
SRH won the toss and asked KKR to bowl first. On a red soil pitch, which served pacers a massive advantage, the Knights used it to the full extent as their pacers, including Mitchell Starc, Andre Russell, Vaibhav Arora, and Harshit Rana, picked eight wickets in total. From conceding merely 40 runs in the powerplay to having tight overs until the end, the team restricted SRH to just 113 runs in 18.3 overs.
With less than run-a-ball required, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (39) got KKR off to an attacking start, while from the other end, Sunil Narine also smocked a six. Venkatesh Iyer (52*) joined the party and hit a fifty off just 26 balls. Notably, both batters put up 91 runs together for the second wicket partnership. Additionally, the unit scored 71/1 in the powerplay, which became the highest runs in the powerplay in the finals. Venkatesh, at a strike rate of 200, hit four fours and three sixes and sealed the game in just 10.3 overs.
SRH, with the bat, had one of the poorest outings and possibly at a very wrong time. The team lost both of its openers, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, in the first two overs, which threw SRH off track. Aiden Markram (20) got some runs in the middle overs, while Heinrich Klaasen (16) also provided crucial runs. Unfortunately, both couldn’t bat deep. In the end, Pat Cummins (24) gave it his all but could not lead the team to a respectable score. The entire team was bowled out for 113 runs, making it the lowest IPL final score ever.
Starc continued his fine form and struck three wickets in the powerplay, giving only 14 runs. Along with him, Harshit Rana also grabbed two wickets. Andre Russell also had a great impact towards the death overs as he plucked three wickets. Furthermore, one wicket each was also secured by Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy.
For SRH with the ball, Cummins got an early breakthrough, while Shahbaz Ahmed also took a wicket.
Following this victory, Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL 2024 and secured their third title.
Scorecard:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 113/10, Overs 18.3, Pat Cummins 24, Andre Russell 3/19
Kolkata Knight Riders: 114/2, Overs 10.3, Venkatesh Iyer 52*, Pat Cummins 1/18