IPL 2024, Qualifier 1, SRH vs KKR: Mitchell Starc's 3-34, Varun Chakravarthy's 2-26 demolish SRH; Kolkata Knight Riders move to Final. Top takeaways for KKR and SRH from the game.
Brief Scores: SRH 159 (Rahul Tripathi 55, Heinrich Klaasen 32, Mitchell Starc 3/34) lost to KKR 164/2 (Shreyas Iyer 58*, Venkatesh Iyer 51*, T Natarajan 1/22) by 8 wickets.
Player of the Match: Mitchell Starc 3/34
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who ended up as the first-placed team in the league stages took on an equally dominant SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. KKR sailed past SRH by 8 wickets to become the first side to reach the IPL 2024 final and will face the winner of Qualifier 2 in the summit clash.
Choosing to bat, SunRisers didn’t have the best of starts, thanks to timely strikes from KKR’s Mitchell Starc. A fine half-century from Rahul Tripathi and a mature hand by skipper Pat Cummins propelled SRH to 159 all-out. The target proved to be too little for a strong KKR batting line-up as half-centuries from both Iyers (Venkatesh and Shreyas) propelled them to a dominating win.
Key Takeaways from KKR vs SRH, Qualifier 1, Winning Team (KKR)
Mitchell Starc brings out his A-game
The pacer who emerged as the costliest buy ever in the IPL auction didn’t have the best of seasons until now. Having picked just 12 wickets in as many games, Mitchell Starc was leaking runs at 11.37 per over. But like most of his Aussie compatriots, he stepped up when his side needed him the most and that was on the night of the playoffs.
In the very first over, the left-arm quick removed his fellow Australia teammate and in-form batter Travis Head for a second-ball duck, courtesy of a ripper. He then proceeded to remove Nitish Kumar & Shahbaz Ahmed inside the powerplay. This put a lid on SRH’s scoring rate and played a key role in KKR restricting the former to a below par total.
Shreyas hits fine form ahead of the final
If it was Starc who came good in the bowling department for KKR; Shreyas Iyer, with his unbeaten 58, was the star with the willow. His batting was not largely required in the league stages for the Knight Riders as much of the batting was taken care of by their openers. He had just scored 287 cumulatively across 12 innings prior to this game. However, this dominating 24-ball knock does make the KKR batting lot stronger. These are ominous signs for the oppositions.
Key Takeaways from KKR vs SRH, Qualifier 1, Losing Team (SRH)
SRH misses an anchor who could hold the innings
The Sunrisers had a rather forgettable night at Ahmedabad as they were completely brushed aside by a rampant KKR side. One of the main reasons for this loss is their in-form openers, Travis Head (0) and Abhishek Sharma (3), failed to come to the party. This put a lot of pressure on their middle-order and SRH were never able to recover from the early powerplay jolts as they got bowled out for 159.
This game proved that SRH needs an experienced batter in the middle-order, someone who could curb a collapse. One option they have is Aiden Markram. Though the former skipper didn’t have a great IPL, his ability to absorb pressure, hold the innings together and play spin well can come in handy for SRH.
Read More: IPL 2024, SRH vs PBKS, Key Takeaways: Abhishek's explosive 66 takes Hyderabad to 17 points
Statistical highlights from KKR vs SRH, Qualifier 1
Travis Head was out on the very second ball he faced off his country mate Mitchell Starc in the IPL. This was also the first occasion the duo has come against each other in a T20 game.
Likewise, Varun Chakravarthy picked the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen for the first time in IPL. The spinner has conceded 31 runs in 15 balls against the dashing wicketkeeper-batter.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz completed the 4000-run milestone in T20 cricket in his 166th inning.
What’s next to come
With this comprehensive win, KKR punched their ticket to the final of IPL 2024. SRH will get a second shot at reaching the final when they face the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 on May 24.
Up next at the same venue, an inspired Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator on May 22, Wednesday.
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