Sunrisers Hyderabad book rematch against KKR in IPL Final

Sunrisers Hyderabad have booked their spot in the 2024 IPL Final against the Kolkata Knight Riders, after dispatching the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on Friday.

Having lost in Qualifier 1, second-placed SRH were made to take the scenic route to this year’s IPL Final. They did so in style, defeating RR by 36 runs to force a rematch against KKR this Sunday evening.

Shahbaz Ahmed was the star of the show on Friday, nabbing three wickets for 23 runs to suffocate Rajasthan. In response to Hyderabad’s 175/9, the Royals could only manage a limp 139/7, making for an anti-climactic end to their season.

SRH get it done in gritty contest

It’s been an IPL season that has seen run-scoring records shattered, with SRH leading the way. Tonight was not one of those nights, as tricky Chennai conditions and the pressure of knockout cricket saw this match become a bowler’s contest.

With the intention of keeping SRH to a low total, the Rajasthan Royals evaluated the condition of the pitch and called the Sunrisers to bat first.

Headlining SRH’s effort was Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 50 runs off just 34 balls. Rahul Tripathi smashed 37 off just 15 balls as well, while Travis Head contributed 34 from 28.

The score of 175/9 seemed modest compared to some of their 270+ totals earlier in the season, but it would be more than enough.

Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his impressive 2024 and got Rajasthan off to a promising start. However, constant wickets at the other end meant RR’s effort stuttered. Dhruv Jurel pitched in with 56 from 35, but ultimately, the bowling of Ahmed sucked the life out of the Rajasthan line up.

Shahbaz Ahmed won player of the match after he cast a magic spell that left the Royals helpless at 139/7.

IPL Final looking like a coin flip between SRH and KKR

The Kolkata Knight Riders, the leading team on the IPL 2024 points table, await the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL Final.

KKR will be attempting to win the trophy for the third time on Sunday, after being champion twice in 2012 and 2014. This will be the fourth final for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise.

Despite their dominance this season—they sit three points clear of any other side—bookmakers only give them a slight advantage in the season’s deciding match.

PlayUp has KKR narrow favourites (-125), while SRH are breathing down their necks (+100) in the outright betting odds.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have only lifted the IPL trophy once in 2016. However, this has been one of their most impressive seasons to date. They’ve regularly recorded huge totals, passing the 200-run mark on six occasions, and twice accruing scores in excess of 270.

They’ll need to perform better than they did in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, however. Then, KKR’s bowlers manage to restrict the Sunrisers to 159 all out, which they chased down with ease.

We say wagering on SRH’s batting line up to come right is a reasonable bet to take. They’ve rarely misfired three times in a row this season, and will have taken some valuable lessons from this week’s defeat to KKR.

The 2024 IPL Final takes place on Sunday at 7:30pm local time in Chennai, India.

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