KKR’s victory marked a decade since their last IPL championship win, enabling them to cement their position within the league. The pulsating finale match was held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, where Kolkata Knight Riders were entitled to their third IPL title in a thrilling game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
The Challenging pitch and Strategic toss
The stage of the thrill was set with Pat Cummins, captain of SRH, winning the toss and opting to bat first. The decision of the SRH captain aligned perfectly with the Chepauk pitch, which was at that time sluggish in nature. The pitch condition of the field favours slow ballers and spinners. With this decision, Shreyas Iyer, captain of KKR, seemed calm, which clearly indicated that KKR preferred bowling first, given the nature of the pitch.
Struggling Batting performance of SRH
Though SRH has demonstrated a season full of explosive batting performances, in this match of the IPL finale, they were caught in a complex trap early and found themselves in trouble. KKR followed a disciplined bowling attack, which caused SRH to derail from the performance they maintained over the season.
As per the match highlights of KKR VS SRH Final IPL 2024, the formidable spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine was successful in stifling the overall run flow of the match. SRH managed to score only 113 runs, which was recorded to be the lowest total in the history of the IPL finale. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were found to succumb to KKR’s relentless bowling pressure, which reduced their contribution margin for the match.
Commanding chase by KKR
In response to the struggling batting of SRH, KKR’s chase depicted outstanding innings where they attained the required run in just 10.3 overs, still having 57 balls left in their hands. Venkatesh Iyer played magnificently and smashed a brilliant half-century in just 26 balls.Rahmanullah Gurbaz partnered him. The duo swiftly and successfully brought KKR into the commanding position by scoring constant boundaries, which helped reduce the pressure of the final match.Â
The partnership between Iyer and Gurbaz was broken with the fall of later wickets and a sharp delivery from Shahbaz Ahmed. Gurbaz scored 39 runs off 32 balls and was declared LBW. Iyer maintained his composure, thereby providing guidance to his team and leading the way towards a comfortable victory while having 8wickets in hand. KKR’s journey to the final was marked by strategic brilliance and consistent performances.
Road to the Final
Hence, the victory of KKR marked a collective effort in which each of the knights made significant contributions. Aggressive batting by Iyer and the stable hands of Gurbaz set the stage during the powerplay. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy made a significant contribution when they tightened the match through their spins.
This resulted in taking crucial wickets and thereby contributing towards maintaining a steady economical bowling rate. On the contrary, SRH smashed their records in the batting process, and this faltered batting ended their hope of winning the victory trophy. Hence, the loss had been a significant disappointment for SRH.
This match depicted a strike rate 18.1, with Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine taking around 36 wickets. This win, entitled to KKR, was highly crucial after they had waited for about ten years. Hence, this match showed the strategic dominance of KKR and SRH’s unexpected collapse.
As the celebrations continue, KKR enjoys the glory of their team’s remarkable achievement as posted in the official Youtube page of Kolkata Knight Rider, a third IPL title that underscores their enduring legacy in the tournament’s storied history.
