Rajasthan had a Qualifier II match with Hyderabad, in which Rajasthan lost by 36 runs. Sunrisers Hyderabad secured their ticket to the final of IPL 2024. The final will be held this Sunday on 26/05/24, with Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad facing off.
Hyderabad last reached the IPL final in 2018, but they lost badly to Chennai. Since then, they have failed to reach the final six times in a row. For the past three seasons, they have been unable to reach the playoffs and have often found themselves at the bottom of the points table. Sunrisers Hyderabad won the 2016 IPL final by defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad are set to meet in the 2024 final. Kolkata Knight Riders lost the playoff qualifier-I match by 8 wickets. When these two teams have played against each other, the matches have often gone down to the last over.
The Kolkata team is strong and performing well in batting, bowling, and fielding. Narine is in excellent form as an opener. Gurbaz will play instead of Salt, but he is expected to do well. Captain Shreyas Iyer played very well in the last match. Venkatesh Iyer has returned to his best form and is playing some of the best innings of his career. Narine is also doing well with the ball. Varun Chakravarthy has taken 20 wickets, and Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, and Mitchell Starc have also been in good form.
The Hyderabad team has started very well this IPL season. They have performed strongly, but their finishing has been a bit of a problem. The team management appreciates Abhishek Sharma, who is opening with the great Travis Head. Captain Pat Cummins, an experienced player, is leading the team from the front. Klassen is in good form, excelling in both batting and wicket-keeping. Rahul Tripathi played very well, scoring 37 runs in the recent match against Rajasthan. So far, he has scored 156 runs in just 5 matches, including 1 fifty. The team needed spin bowlers, so Shahbaz Ahmed, Abhishek Sharma, and Markram will be in the playing eleven. Shahbaz Ahmed took 3 wickets for 23 runs in 4 overs against Rajasthan, dismissing key players like Riyan Parag, Jaiswal, and Ravichandran Ashwin, helping to restrict Rajasthan to 139 runs. Natarajan also bowled well and has taken 19 wickets this season. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s experience will be crucial in the big matches.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar told Jio Cinemas, “One more match is left for us, and we are confident of winning the final match. We have played with full teamwork, the whole season has gone well for us, and we have performed very well in every department. We are here today by working hard. From our team players to our team management, coaches, and coaching staff, we are all pleased. We want to forget the failures of the last three years and make this season special by winning the final and becoming champions.”
Anil Kumble mentioned that Bhuvneshwar Kumar can now bowl very wicket-to-wicket and also bat well. The Chennai pitch is excellent for wicket-to-wicket bowling, and it’s possible to get wickets with good length bowling on this pitch. Shahbaz Ahmed’s bowling in the previous match was very impressive, as he bowled intelligently and picked up valuable wickets for the team. Shahbaz and Klassen have formed a good partnership together, setting strong targets.