KKR vs SRH: Starc wreaks havoc as KKR dismantle SRH to reach 4th IPL final

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KKR vs SRH

KKR vs SRH: The Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed a one-sided affair in Qualifier 1 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). KKR’s premium bowler Mitchell Starc, who was bought for a whopping 24.75 Cr has finally arrived with a fiery spell, rattling the dangerous SRH’s batting order.

KKR vs SRH: KKR into the finals of IPL 2024

Batting first SRH crumbled against KKR seamers, especially Starc, who took three crucial wickets in the powerplay, which included the pricey wicket of Travis Head on the second delivery of the innings. The in-form Abhishek Sharma followed his opening partner in the next over.

Though Rahul Tripathi has shown promise with a gritty fifty, timely wickets and blunders from the batsmen have limited SRH to post a commanding total on the board. In the end, Skipper Pat Cummins played a handy knock to post a decent total of 159 on the board.

With dew set in, KKR batsmen got use of the powerplay, striking meaty blows against both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins. Phil Salt’s replacement Rahmanullah Gurbaz was all guns blazing in his first match of the season, setting up the platform for the chase.

With a minimal score on the board, SRH bowlers never looked confident of defending against the strong batting order of KKR. The Iyer duo of Venkatesh and Skipper Shreyas stitched a quick-fire partnership of 94 of 44 balls to complete the chase in just 13.4 overs.

KKR will be appearing in their 4th IPL final in 17 years, having previously won on 2 occasions out of 3. The franchise won their maiden title under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership back in 2012 in Chennai and in Bengaluru in 2014. They faltered in 2021 against CSK in Dubai. However, they hope to make it count this time in Chennai, where they already have a 100% win record in the finals.

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