KKR vs SRH, IPL 2024 Final: Sunrisers Hyderbad’s full-throttle approach hits the skids in IPL final

Sunrisers' Record-Breaking IPL Season (IPL)

The Sunrisers Hyderabad Class of 2024 can look back with some pride on three of the four highest totals in the competition’s 17-year history. They were the first team to go past 265, and they did it thrice, with the 287-3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium a Mount Everest-like peak that may never be scaled again. And just to prove that they didn’t always need to bat first, they reeled in a target of 215 against Punjab Kings in just 19.1 overs.

This was a batting line-up that inspired fear, that made pace bowlers and spinners alike wake up in a cold sweat. Since the advent of white-ball cricket more than 40 years ago, ‘Throwing the kitchen sink’ has been one of the cricket-writer’s favourite cliches. But Sunrisers didn’t just throw the sink. They added the refrigerator, the microwave, the cooking hob and every other device they could find. It was high-risk cricket, and the wonder was that they pulled it off so often.

But what happens when Plan A fails? In the IPL final at Chepauk, once Mitchell Starc and Vaibhav Arora had disposed to the ultra-dangerous opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, Sunrisers rummaged around in the kitbag and found that there was no Plan B. A more circumspect approach and a rebuilding job might have taken Hyderabad to a total in excess of 150. A total of 113 gave them no chance.

Even 160 probably wouldn’t have been enough. But in any case, that’s not how this team plays. They either finish the race full throttle or crash into the barriers. There really is no middle path. That was reflected in the batters’ numbers as well. Head finished the season with scores of 0, 0, 34 and 0. Heinrich Klaasen, the world’s most-feared T20 batter, got to 50 just once in his last nine innings.

Aiden Markram, who had been captain before the franchise paid Rupees 20.5 crores for Pat Cummins, made 61 in his last five innings, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, who turned 21 on the day of the final, finished with knocks of 9, 5 and 13. When your approach is laced with risk, consistency is never going to be your best friend.

But once the dust settles and the wounds from this final thrashing heal, Sunrisers can look back on a campaign that revolutionised the way the teams approach the first Powerplay. Ultimately, they came a cropper against the tournament’s best bowling attack, but don’t be surprised if at least two or three of these players are back in orange in 2025, and swinging for the trees again.

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