KKR, SRH lock horns in IPL 2024 grand finale: Preview
Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad will cross swords in the grand finale of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). It will be a rematch of Qualifier 1 which saw KKR thrash the Orange Army by eight wickets in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, KKR will fight for their third IPL title. SRH have lifted the silverware just once in the past. Here is the match preview.
Pitch report and other 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. Therefore, scoring in middle overs will be a challenge. The Qualifier 2 on May 24 here saw SRH comprehensively defend 175 versus Rajasthan Royals. 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.
Will KKR replicate their heroics?
Both these teams have been bolstered by their batters. KKR have been powered by Sunil Narine's all-round brilliance. Several other players have also stood up. Meanwhile, SRH have been majorly dependent upon their openers and Heinrich Klaasen. Pat Cummins has led the bowling attack well. Notably, the Qualifier 1 saw KKR accomplish the 160-run target in just 13.4 overs.
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.
A look at Qualifier 1 summary
Mitchell Starc blew SRH away after they elected to bat. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma departed early, leaving SRH stranded at 39/4. Although Rahul Tripathi and Klaasen took SRH past 100, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana then choked them. Pat Cummins' 30(24) guided SRH to 159/10. KKR lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narine early, but Venkatesh (51*) and Shreyas (58*) powered them over the line.
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.
