After over 70 matches and two months of non-stop cricket, the D-Day has arrived – the IPL 2024 final between Kolkata Knight Riders and SunRisers Hyderabad at the Chepauk in Chennai on Sunday (May 26). Two teams on the top of the points table have crossed all obstacles to reach the summit clash, where each will fight for the ultimate glory. Here is the match preview and result prediction of the KKR vs SRH IPL 2024 finale.
Match Preview
Table-toppers KKR were the first to qualify for this year’s final by beating SRH in Qualifier 1 – for the second time this season.
Shreyas Iyer-led side has played some exciting cricket this season; from posting massive first-inning totals to beating the top sides, some by close margins, KKR did it all in IPL 2024.
Gautam Gambhir’s inclusion in the backroom staff did wonders for the former winners, chasing their third IPL trophy, having last won it ten years ago. Although Phil Salt’s absence was said to dent their momentum, Afghanistan’s keeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz provided stability and confidence with his handy cameos in brief outings thus far.
Besides a solid batting order, Andre Russell’s performance throughout has been the x-factor for KKR.
However, IPL’s most expensive buy ever, Starc, coming good with the ball with the playoffs approaching is a great sign for the team. Also, Varun Chakravarthy’s form will come as a bonus for the team at Chepauk.
On the other hand, Pat Cummins’ SunRisers Hyderabad is the most-feared side this season. From a powerhouse batting attack to a young all-rounder Nitish Reddy making headlines to Cummins’ captaincy to the Indian seam-attack delivering at almost every stage, SRH have their bases covered heading into the crucial IPL clash this year.
The opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma will have all eyeballs on them, with the Chennai crowd hoping for a blockbuster start. Although Aiden Markram’s form is a worry for the Orange Army, Heinrich Klaasen’s purple patch gives them confidence down the order.
SRH’s USP has been their Indian bowling attack, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Shahbaz Ahmed, who starred in the knockout against Rajasthan Royals.
Head-to-Head
Two-time champions KKR leads the head-to-head tally against SRH by 18-9.
Predicted Playing XIs of both teams –
KKR – Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy
SRH – Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat and T Natarajan
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