IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 - Done and dusted in 13.4 overs, KKR book their spot in FINAL with convincing 8-wicket win

A day to forget for the team that posted the highest-ever total in Indian Premier League (IPL) history! May 21 was certainly not Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) day, as they lost by 8 wickets against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Qualifier 1 of the IPL. Shockingly, the second innings of this first playoff game ended in just 13.4 overs.

ALSO READ | IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 - Drop catches add salt to SRH's woes, KKR capitalise with boundaries

As for KKR—2012, 2014, 2021, and now in 2024—the team in purple and gold is set to play their fourth final in IPL history. They will now wait for their opponent at the Chepauk Stadium.

Talking about the clash, while chasing 160 runs and with no Phil Salt in their squad, Rahmaah Gurbaz stepped up and scored 23 off 14 before T Natarajan drew first blood. Later, Sunil Narine fell for 21 off 16, but it was not an issue for KKR as Venkatesh Iyer (51 off 28) and Shreyas Iyer (58 off 24) smashed the ball all across the park.

Barring, T Natarajan and Pat Cummins, no other SRH bowler could even manage to take wickets.

Earlier in the innings, SRH did not anticipate such a rough start, losing Travis Head for a duck and having little success with Abhishek Sharma (3 off 4) after winning the toss and choosing to bat. When Rahul Tripathi took the field, he attempted to stabilize the innings, but Nitish Reddy (9 off 10) and Shahbaz Ahmed (0 off 1) were dismissed early. Heinrich Klaasen managed to score 32 off 21 before being dismissed by Varun Chakaravarthy.

ALSO READ | IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 - Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana and AbRam cheer as KKR restrict SRH to 159 runs

The drama unfolded when Abdul Samad and Rahul Tripathi miscommunicated, resulting in Tripathi being run out for 55 off 35. Abdul Samad was dismissed after making just 16 off 12, while Sanvir Singh, who had been brought in as an impact substitute, was bowled for a duck. Captain Pat Cummins played a crucial innings at the end, scoring 30 off 24, but he was unable to do much with tailenders Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0 off 4) and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (7 off 5).

For KKR, Mitchell Starc took 3 wickets, while Varun Chakaravarthy picked up two. Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, and Andre Russell each claimed one wicket.

Teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Rahmaah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy

Impact Subs: Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, KS Bharat, Sherfaine Rutherford

Enjoy 35+ OTTs like ZEE5, LionsgatePlay, Ullu, SunNXT, SonyLIV, Fancode and 250+ Live TV channels at just ₹99

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, T Natarajan

Impact Subs: Sanvir Singh, Umran Malik, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Jaydev Unadkat