The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured their third IPL title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad with a dominant eight-wicket display at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai bringing the 2024 IPL season to a close.
One of the deadliest bowling teams of all time, involving Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, KKR was ultimately too much for the batsmen in SRH. The Player of the Match award went to Starc as he amazed everybody with his figures of 4 for 22 including the wickets of The Sun Risers Hyderabad’s entire top-order who crumbled cheaply making just 113 after 18.3 overs. For his remarkable performance during this event, Cummins also managed to chip in two wickets while Sunil Narine, Tournament Player showed his might again.
KKR replied using Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill as their openers. They formed a strong alliance by scoring 48 runs together before Iyer fell on Malik’s bowling at 24. They began poorly but improved thereafter and ultimately ended up among the top teams in the season. This was largely attributed to Narine’s outstanding performance using his strange style of bowling which kept batsmen at bay each time they faced him; even in moments of tense competition . The tournament saw them lift their hands up high – their much deserved victory came after having failed twice before!
This resounding win marked a remarkable turnaround for KKR, who had struggled with inconsistent performances earlier in the tournament. In the end, KKR found their rhythm in the second half, methodically moving up the standings․ Sunil Narine’s key performance with the ball against all batsmen throughout as he bowled his elusive offspin that spun all ways at pace. Alongside Venkatesh Iyer’s aggressive batting and Shreyas Iyer’s ‘been there before’ captaincy skills; the team was able to win the championship for the third time after a decade.
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An otherwise promising season came to a gloomy conclusion for SRH. Having shown strong performance in the league phase, they lost the crucial game, as their batting department that heavily relies on Kane Williamson gave in to pressure. Even though SRH bowlers managed to get quick wickets, still, they were unable to put stop to relentless KKR’s batting.
KKR winning indicates a change in the balance of power within the IPL. With a talented and young nucleus in place, they have set up themselves as a strong team for tomorrow. Their dominant performance in the final sends a clear message to other teams as they aim to build a dominance in the league.
