Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) clinched their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title convincingly, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by bowling them out for a mere 113 runs in the final match of the 2024 season.
Under the leadership of Andre Russell, KKR’s bowlers displayed exceptional skill and accuracy, securing a comfortable victory.
The SRH batting order crumbled early on, with key players Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head dismissed within the first two overs. This paved the way for a relentless bowling onslaught from KKR, who maintained consistent pressure throughout the match.
Andre Russell emerged as the standout performer, claiming three crucial wickets for just 19 runs. He received valuable support from Harshit Rana and Mitchell Starc, who both took two wickets each. Starc’s impressive spell of 2 for 14 was particularly notable, capitalizing on the favorable conditions.
Despite a promising start, SRH failed to build momentum, with Heinrich Klaasen, Rahul Tripathi, and Nitish Kumar Reddy unable to convert their starts into significant scores. By the end of the Powerplay, SRH found themselves struggling at 40 for 3, from which they never recovered.
Mitchell Starc’s early breakthroughs set the tone for KKR’s dominance, with his delivery dismissing Abhishek Sharma swinging late and clipping the off-bail. Travis Head’s dismissal, caught behind off Vaibhav Arora’s delivery, marked his third duck in the last four games, concluding a disappointing IPL season.
Following the Powerplay, SRH attempted to stabilize their innings, but KKR’s Harshit Rana and Andre Russell tightened their grip, dismissing key batsmen Nitish Reddy and Aiden Markram, extinguishing any hopes of a SRH comeback. Eventually, SRH was bowled out for 113 runs in 18.3 overs, marking the lowest first-innings total in IPL final history.
In contrast to the previous lowest total in an IPL final of 129/8 by Mumbai Indians in 2017, KKR’s victory was more resounding and decisive.
KKR’s playing XI included Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakaravarthy. Impact substitutes comprised Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, KS Bharat, and Sherfane Rutherford.
