Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed their berth in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, knocking out the fiery performers Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first Qualifier. KKR won by eight wickets with 38 balls to spare in Qualifier 1, May 21 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
SRH had a shaky start with Travis Head getting out for 0 on the second ball of the match by Mitchell Starc. Towards the end of the fifth over, team had lost 3 more wickets leaving them at 39-4. Heinrich Klaasen and Rahul Tripathi then held a partnership of 62 runs to save the sinking ship, taking them to 101/4 but then another collapse ensued.
Klassen was the first to go as Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed him for 32 in the 11th over. And then in the 14th over SRH lost two wickets in 2 balls. A well set Tripathi was run out for 55 and in the next ball Narine bowled Sanvir Singh leaving SRH struggling at 121/7. This collapse prompted a reaction from the ‘King of Bollywood.’
The elation and excitement dawned on Shah Rukh Khan’s face as he clapped calmly while Suhana Khan, AbRam Khan & Pooja Dadlani were spotted enjoying passionately after the fall of two back to back wickets.
Shahrukh Khan probably knew in that moment, they have seized the place in finals. However, it is important to note that SRH is still in the league and may have a chance to avenge this loss in the finals against KKR.
SRH ended up with only 159 on a good batting track. KKR made light work of the chase and thanks to half centuries by Venkatesh Iyer and captain Shreyas Iyer they wrapped up the match with 8 wickets in hand.
KKR await their opponents in the final
Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face each other in the Eliminator(1), the winner of which will be facing the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the penultimate match of Indian Premier League on May 24. In the finals, KKR will be waiting for its opponent from the Qualifier 2 match.
Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, KKR showcased their determination and perseverance and the two-time champions, KKR is returning in the finals since their last appearance in 2021 where they lost to Chennai Super Kings.
With record for the longest winning streak by any Indian team in T20s, will KKR add the third championship title to its cabinet?
Tabinda Mir is a writer from Kashmir. She is an English Honours graduate and her interests primarily dwell in poetry and sports writing. She likes to cover Cricket as an avid fan. Apart from sports, her other publications include articles, poems and a letter to summer in the book titled, “Under The Summer Skies”.
Also, her leisure time activities include reading novels, poetry, non literary works, philosophies and writing poetry, short stories, articles on diverse themes.
