HT Digital,
New Delhi, May 21: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) advanced to the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 with a commanding victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first qualifier on Tuesday.
Chasing a target of 160, KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer led his team to an eight-wicket triumph with a decisive boundary, sealing the win with 38 balls to spare. Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sunil Narine set a strong foundation for the chase, followed by unbeaten half-centuries from Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer. Shreyas Iyer remained not out with 58 off 24 balls, while Venkatesh Iyer contributed 51 off 28 balls.
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Despite efforts from SRH bowlers T Natarajan and Pat Cummins, who took one wicket each, the team struggled to contain KKR’s batting onslaught.
Earlier, SRH captain Pat Cummins chose to bat first after winning the toss at the Narendra Modi Stadium. However, their innings got off to a disastrous start, losing both openers within the first two overs. Key batsmen Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who had been prolific throughout the season, were quickly dismissed by KKR’s bowlers.
Rahul Tripathi played a crucial role, scoring a valuable half-century with seven fours and a six, but was run out in a costly mix-up. Heinrich Klaasen added 32 runs off 21 balls, while Cummins contributed 30 runs down the order, bringing SRH’s total to 159 before being bowled out.
Mitchell Starc was the standout bowler for KKR, taking three wickets with an economy rate of 8.50 in his four overs. Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets, and Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell each chipped in with one wicket.
SRH’s performance was marred by poor batting, lackluster bowling, and missed fielding opportunities, including several dropped catches. However, finishing second in the points table grants them another chance in the tournament, as they will face the winner of Qualifier 2 in the eliminator match.
