In a one-sided affair, Kolkata Knight Riders cruised to victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, securing their spot in the finals of IPL 2024 with a commanding 8-wicket win. KKR's performance was near flawless in this encounter, contrasting sharply with SRH's struggles, which included a batting collapse and missed opportunities in the field.
Setting a target of 160 runs, SRH's innings faltered, while KKR's chase was executed with precision and efficiency. Opening with Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, KKR got off to a strong start, notching up 26 runs without loss in the initial 2 overs. However, Gurbaz departed for 23 runs, courtesy of a breakthrough by T Natarajan.
Continuing their momentum, KKR reached the 50-run mark in the fifth over with Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine at the crease. By the end of the powerplay, KKR was comfortably placed at 63/1 after 6 overs, with Narine falling for 21 runs to Pat Cummins.
Undeterred, KKR pressed on, reaching the 100-run milestone in the tenth over, steadily inching closer to their target. Half-centuries from Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer ensured KKR's victory, as they reached the target of 160 runs with 8 wickets in hand and a remarkable 6 overs to spare.
FIRST INNINGS
In a dramatic batting collapse, Sunrisers Hyderabad found themselves losing wickets right from the outset against Kolkata Knight Riders. Apart from Rahul Tripathi's resilient 55 and Klaasen's 32 in the middle order, the rest of the SRH lineup struggled against the relentless bowling attack of KKR. Posting a total of 159 runs, SRH set a target of 160 for KKR to secure a spot in the IPL 2024 finals.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Sunrisers Hyderabad faced an early setback as Travis Head departed for a golden duck, marking his second consecutive zero. Another blow followed as Abhishek Sharma fell for just 3 runs, with Vaibhav Arora striking for KKR. With both openers back in the pavilion within the first two overs, SRH were reeling at 13/2. Despite brief stability, Nitish Reddy (9) and Shahbaz (0) succumbed to Mitchell Starc's bowling, leaving SRH struggling at 39/4 after 5 overs and 45/4 by the end of the powerplay.
Struggling to rebuild, SRH reached 50 runs in 7 overs and reached 92/4 at the halfway mark. Rahul Tripathi's composed half-century off 29 balls provided some respite, but Klaasen's departure at 101/5 in the 11th over added to SRH's woes. The team's troubles continued as Tripathi was run out for 55, followed by Sanveer's duck, both falling victim to Sunil Narine's bowling. Abdul Samad managed only 16 runs before being dismissed by Harshit, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar departed without scoring, leaving SRH struggling at 126/9 by the end of the 16th over.
A late cameo by Pat Cummins, scoring 30 runs, helped SRH reach a total of 159 runs with three balls to spare in their innings.
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