IPL 2024 final: All you need to know
Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad will meet in the high-voltage final clash of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Notably, the two sides crossed swords in Qualifier 1 earlier this week as KKR thrashed the Orange Army by eight wickets. SRH, nevertheless, earned a final berth by defeating Rajasthan Royals in the second Qualifier. Here's all you need to know about the final.
KKR have dominated the season
Notably, KKR topped the IPL 2024 points table with nine wins across 14 games. (NRR: +1.428). Two of their matches got abandoned due to rain as they finished with 20 points. SRH finished second with eight wins (NR: 1). They claimed 17 points at a healthy NRR of +0.414. Courtesy of finishing in the top two, KKR and SRH met in the first Qualifier.
A look at Qualifier 1 summary
Mitchell Starc took three wickets upfront, reducing SRH to 39/4. Rahul Tripathi (55) and Heinrich Klaasen (32) rescued SRH before the side suffered another collapse. Pat Cummins' 30 guided the Orange Army to 159/10. Though KKR lost both their openers early, Venkatesh Iyer (51*) and Shreyas Iyer (58*) scored fiery fifties as KKR crossed the line in just 13.4 overs.
Pitch report and streaming details
Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium will host the summit clash on May 26 (7:30pm IST). The wickets here have a history of assisting spinners. As per ESPNcricinfo, chasing teams have won five of the eight clashes here in IPL 2024 with the average first innings run rate being 8.85. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on JioCinema.
Here's the head-to-head record
In terms of the head-to-head record, KKR and SRH have met on 27 occasions. KKR have the edge, claiming 18 wins to SRH's nine. The Knight Riders have defeated SRH twice in the ongoing season. However, the head-to-head record between these two sides in IPL playoffs is 2-2. Notably, this will be KKR's fourth final appearance. SRH will play their third final.
How these two teams have fared in Chennai?
KKR boast a poor record in Chennai as they have just four wins across 14 IPL games at this venue. SRH's record is not better either as they have just two wins in 11 matches here. Notably, the two sides have met once at this venue in IPL. It was the league stage of the 2021 edition as KKR (177/5) prevailed by 10 runs.
How these two teams have fared in IPL finals?
KKR have appeared in three previous IPL finals. While they tasted glory under Gautam Gambhir's leadership in 2012 and 2014, they lost the summit clash to CSK in 2021. Meanwhile, David Warner powered SRH to their maiden title in 2016. The team's only other final appearance came in 2018, where the Sunrisers lost to CSK in the ultimate encounter.
A look at the key performers
Narine has scored 482 runs this year (SR: 179.85). The spinner has also collected 16 wickets at an economy of 6.9. Andre Russell has been striking at 185 this year (222 runs). SRH openers Abhishek Sharma (207.76) and Travis Head (192.20) own the top-two highest strike rates among batters with 350-plus runs this year. Natarajan has 19 scalps across 13 games this season.
Here are the probable XIs
KKR probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy. Impact Player: Nitish Rana. SRH probable XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Reddy, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan. Impact Player: Shahbaz Ahmed.
