KKR Advances to Final with Dominant Win Over SRH in Qualifier 1

Riding on Mitchell Starc’s scorching spell and belligerent fifties from Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured their place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 summit clash by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 8 wickets in a lopsided Qualifier 1 contest at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday.

Ahmedabad’s twilight witnessed an exhilarating match as the big hitters from both sides struggled on the Ahmedabad surface. However, KKR’s bowlers, led by Starc, restricted SRH to a paltry score.

KKR, making their fourth IPL final appearance after 2012, 2014, and 2021, chased down the target of 160 with ease, thanks to unbeaten half-centuries from the Iyer duo. The duo finished off the run chase with 38 balls remaining. KKR will now play in the IPL 2024 final, while SRH will have another chance in Qualifier 2.

Chasing 160, KKR openers Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz hammered SRH bowlers early on. Gurbaz’s dismissal in the 4th over by T Natarajan gave SRH a brief respite. Gurbaz scored 23 off 14. Captain Pat Cummins’ strategy to place three fielders on the leg side paid off as Narine was dismissed for 21.

After the openers’ departure, Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer made the SRH bowling attack look helpless. Venkatesh scored a half-century in 28 balls, including a fierce assault on Travis Head with 6, 4, 6, 6, propelling KKR to the IPL 2024 final.

Earlier, Mitchell Starc’s sheer pace and Varun Chakaravarthy’s spin helped KKR bundle out SRH for 159. Starc made SRH regret their decision to bat first, as his pace left Hyderabad’s batters rattled. He drew first blood on the second delivery, dismissing Travis Head for a two-ball duck.

Starc’s pace continued to dominate, taking back-to-back wickets in the powerplay. Vaibhav Arora dismissed Abhishek Sharma (3), and Starc trapped Rahul Tripathi with a searing yorker. Despite a missed review, Starc’s relentless bowling put KKR in the driver’s seat, dismissing Nitish Reddy (9) and Shahbaz Ahmed in quick succession. SRH ended the powerplay at 45/4, their third-lowest score this season.

Rahul Tripathi and Heinrich Klaasen forged a 62-run stand to stabilize SRH. Tripathi scored his 12th IPL fifty but Klaasen’s struggle against spin continued, as Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed him for 32(21). Abdul Samad’s intent was clear, but a run-out of well-set Tripathi (55) and a golden duck for impact substitute Sanvir Singh further derailed SRH.

Harshit Rana’s slower delivery caught Samad off-guard, ending his innings at 16(12). Chakaravarthy removed Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a duck, and Pat Cummins’ 30(24) could not prevent SRH from bundling out for 159.