Mitchell Starc, in particular, was the man who set the tone with a stunning spell of 3-0-14-2 that set the cat amongst the pigeons. Mitchell Starc first over, against Abhishek Sharma, was a series of away-going deliveries that beat the bat or caught the edge. Before the knockout blow. The imagery of that big wicket upfront was akin to what Mitchell Starc had done in that first qualifier when he had Travis Head bowled for a duck.
Pitch and Toss
It’s a humid evening and slightly overcast. Game today on pitch #4 which is more central of all the pitches. It’s also a red soil wicket. It’s a red soil pitch, 63m and 70m square boundaries, the straight boundary is at 77m. Red clay tends to have a lot of bounce, this is a well prepared pitch and we should have a high scoring game.
The scores could range anywhere around 175-190. This is the third final at this venue and there have been high scores in both the previous games. Not a lot of spin, but significant bounce. Unconventional shots, horizontal bat shots is what the batters will look to do against spin. The groundsmen have assured that there’ll be no dew tonight as well, say Ian Bishop and Matthew Hayden, in their pitch report.
Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat keeping Abdul Samad as Impact Sub for Shahbaz Ahmed. Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer bowling first made no changes in the playing XI.
Scintillating Mitchell Starc leads KKR charge in the powerplay
Mitchell Starc didn’t quite start the tournament the way he would have wanted after becoming the costliest player in IPL history, but he turned up for the playoffs all right. The first ball of the match swung away to beat Abhishek Sharma, who was taking first strike after Mitchell Starc bowled Head second ball in the Qualifier 1.
By the end of the over, Mitchell Starc had worked himself into enough of a rhythm to pitch the ball on leg and hit the top of off. It was an unplayable delivery at Mitchell Starc’s pace. You could forgive Abhishek for not lunging forward because it was pitched on a good length and the movement was late.
The sixth bowled by Arora, saw some counterattack which yielded 17 to restore some parity but the damage had already been done. Mitchell Starc, Arora and KKR were all over SRH not allowing them to get away and reversing that momentum would require more than just one big over. Whenever they tried to come back though, KKR managed to push SRH further back, like they did in the immediate aftermath of a big over inside the powerplay.
Harshit Rana starts the second slide as SRH slipped in middle overs
With a six and a four in his short stay, Nitish Reddy had raised hopes of an SRH counterattack, but it was nipped right in the bud. KKR’s third seamer, Harshit Rana cut off Reddy’s momentum with three back-to-back slower ones before having him caught behind with a seam-up delivery. Sunil Narine then strung together a couple of quiet overs only for Andre Russell to come in and strike first ball to have Aiden Markram caught off a shortish delivery.
Varun Chakravarthy came in next and became KKR’s fifth bowler of the night to strike in his first over as he had Shahbaz Ahmed caught at short fine leg. SRH’s hand was forced into getting a batting impact sub in Abdul Samad but he fared no better, edging Russell behind. The final nail in the coffin came when the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen dragged one off Rana to put SRH in a point of no return.
Seeing how the ball was moving, KKR used just the two bowlers in the powerplay, but Arora went for 17 in the final powerplay over, taking SRH up to 40 for 3. That seemed like a situation from which SRH could salvage the game, especially with an Impact Player up their sleeve. It wasn’t to be. In his first over, Harshit Rana bowled three straight slower balls before bowling the hard length at 146kmph and managing seam movement against the angle. Nitish Reddy had no choice but to go after it, and all he managed was an edge through to the keeper.
Andre Russell with 3 wickets ended SRH innings to meagre 113 runs in IPL final
After that kind of relentless wicket-taking not even Pat Cummins could fashion a turnaround. The last couple of wickets fell as a matter of routine as SRH were bowled for their second-lowest total ever in IPL, setting up a straightforward chase for KKR.
Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz almost won the match in the Powerplay
Sunil Narine had little impact with the bat in the final but his presence was hardly missed as Venkatesh Iyer came out hammer and tongs. He got going with a four and back-to-back sixes against Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and then hit three fours and a six off an over from T Natarajan as KKR hurtled away at a frenetic pace which carried on right until the end.
KKR continued their domination of Bhuvneshwar Kumar by charging at him even though they lost Sunil Narine for 6 off 2 at the other end. Venkatesh hit Bhuvneshwar for two straight sixes in a 20-run third over, and when he and Rahmanullah Gurbaz took another 20 off T Natarajan in the sixth over, KKR had put together the most in a powerplay in an IPL final (72).
Venkatesh Iyer’s 50 leads KKR to 3rd IPL title after 10 years
With the pace set, Venkatesh Iyer notched up a 24-ball half-century even as Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell after a 91-run stand, and made sure that the team was carried over the line. Gurbaz hit boundaries post the powerplay, but didn’t have the benefit of a review because of a technology breakdown when given out lbw for 39. That only allowed captain Shreyas Iyer to be in the middle for the winning moment after a tough year for him in which he has lost his place in and retainer with the Indian national team.
Presentations and skipper views
Pat Cummins the loosing skipper said :
“They bowled fantastically. Unfortunately, old mate Starcy turned it on again. Not enough tonight, totally outplayed. You hope you get a few boundaries away but they bowled fantastically well, didn’t really give us anything. Similar to last week in Ahmedabad where they bowled really well, so full credit,”
“It was a bit of a tricky wicket. If we got 160, it would have felt we were in the game. Didn’t feel like a 200+ wicket. Well short, maybe a few extra runs would have given us a chance. So many (positives), the style that the the guys played particularly with the bat,”
“Takes a lot of skill to not only get 250 but also three times. It takes real, you are putting yourself out there a fair bit. I loved how brave the guys were. In high-pressure situations, they took the game on. It was a lot of fun, fans seemed to like it back in Hyderabad. Great season. It was fantastic, hadn’t worked with many of the guys before at all,”
“It was a real pleasure to work with some of the older, experienced guys like Bhuvi. Bhuvi, Nattu, Jaydev were great and lots of young talent throughout. Really great squad, the support staff were amazing, had a great couple of months. We play a lot over here in India but it’s normally a sea of blue. It’s good having the crowd on our side for once. Amazing tournament, gets bigger and better each year. It was amazing this season,”
Pat Cummins receives the runners-up cheque – INR 12.5 crore and a shield.
Nitish Kumar Reddy wins the Emerging Player of the Season award. Sunrisers Hyderabad win the Fairplay Award.
Harshal Patel – 24 wickets – is the Purple Cap winner said :
“Deeply honored to be presented with the purple cap. It’s been a very rewarding journey. I want to thank everyone who was part of my journey – my team-mates, my coaches and especially my family, my wife and my son. Without their support, it wouldn’t have been possible. I look forward to the 2025 season,”
Virat Kohli – 741 runs – is the Orange Cap winner said:
“Extremely honored to receive the orange cap for this season. It was a roller-coaster of a ride, I was really pleased with the way I performed for my team throughout the season but more importantly in the latter half where we needed to win every game to qualify. Something that I hope to replicate in the 2025 season of the IPL as well. Thank you everyone for your support,”
Shreyas Iyer the IPL winning skipper said :
“Absolutely comprehensive. This is what we demanded from the team and every individual. They stood up to the right occasion and the feeling is hard to express. It (wait) was so long, longer than the match. We played like invincibles throughout the season. There’s so much to cherish right now. It is pleasing, the performance has been flawless throughout. I am running out of words right now,”
“We have been tremendous from game one, we stepped up today. All we demanded from ourselves was to back each other whatever the situation is. The game could have either way. They have been playing phenomenal cricket – SRH – throughout the season. We were lucky to bowl first and every situation went in our favour,”
“Thanks to SRH the way they played. Looking forward to play more competitive cricket. (On Starc) That’s when all the big players stand up, right! It was a high-pressure game and he’s been so good off the field. He’s never shown any complacency in his work ethics,”
“He stepped up to the right occasion. He’s got that magic wand (on Russell), he’s looking forward to pick wickets. When I look at him, I know he can look at me. All the guys stepped up at the right time. Made it easier. It has been a flawless season. KKR captain collected the winners’ cheque – INR 20 crores,”
Mitchell Starc Player of the match in the Finals said :
“Great night for KKR. What a game, what a series, what a season. Probably the two most exciting teams in the final, it was a great night. It was an upward journey from the start of the IPL till now. We’ve had a fantastic squad of bowlers and batters, our staff have been fantastic to get everyone peaking for the back end of the tournament,”
“We’ve been such a consistent side, we haven’t had one or two people standout, it’s been contributions from everyone. Great to contribute personally, but the fact we had everyone contribute throughout has been a big part of the success. We lost the toss and got to use the ball first. Having watched the game a few nights ago here, not really sure what the wicket was going to do. We spoke about adapting to the conditions,”
“Shreyas was fantastic with the way he used his bowlers and his fields, has been all season, so credit to him there. The bowling unit showed all the skills they have, the quicks and the spinners, their ability to adapt to find wicket-taking balls. that’s what you need in finals. There’s been jokes about the money,”
“It’s been a long time since I have played the IPL. I am older and an experienced player now, that’s helped with managing all the expectations. I am certainly glad I am a bit more experienced and older to deal with all of that. We’ve got a fantastic squad of players and staff. It’s been a lot of fun. Exciting bowling attack. We’ve got guys that have been in KKR for a long time. Full credit to the whole squad of players and staff,”
Sunil Narine was the Most Valuable player of the tournament for (488 runs and 17 wickets)said:
“Coming into the ground today, it felt like 2012. The feeling is overwhelming and I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift. I am enjoying my cricket at the moment – batting, bowling and fielding. What helps is when the team is winning. We have a great bunch of guys who put out a lot of work throughout the season,”
“The fight they gave throughout the season was very good and it shows how good a team we are. (Batting) Getting the role to just go there and express myself, trying to get the team off to a flier, that’s key. The backing of the support staff, especially GG just saying – “go there and enjoy it, just try to win a few games for the team. I am not asking you to do the entire season, but just a few games.” That was very good advice. Salty played an incredible season,”
“We missed him but Gurbaz came in and filled that role. Once you have an opening partner with the same intent, it’s good for the team and you always get a good start for the team as well,”
“He (Varun Chakravarthy) is a world-class bowler, he puts in the work. Whatever happens on the field, it’s what he does off the field. The whole bowling line-up, we always pick early wickets, so we come to bowl under less pressure. As a total bowling unit, picking up wickets is key and it helped us win the title,”
Right, this was how the finale panned out. Both teams got what they wanted at the toss. Mitchell Starc and Vaibhav nipped out the SRH openers cheaply just like Qualifier 1. The Aussie pacer was almost impeccable in the powerplay. Nitish Reddy got outfoxed by Harshit Rana and Russell separated the South African pair. Varun Chakravarthy removed Shahbaz and Abdul Samad failed to make an impact. Harshit’s slower ball got the better of Klaasen and he bowled a wicket-maiden.
Narine was at his miserly best – 4-0-16-1. SRH got skittled out for 113 – lowest total in an IPL final – after opting to bat. In reply, Gurbaz got going with a boundary. Narine fell after smashing a six. Venkatesh Iyer came out all guns blazing – 4 6 6 vs Bhuvi and then 4 4 6 4 vs Natarajan. Highest powerplay score in an IPL final – 72/1. Venky smashed a 24-ball half-century and hit the winning runs as Kolkata cruised to a 8-wicket win with 57 balls to spare.
Just like the 2015 World Cup final, Mitchell Starc led the rout of the second-best team of the tournament as Kolkata Knight Riders fashioned the most one-sided IPL final to secure their third title.
Mitchell Starc started with arguably the ball of the tournament, and the most complete attack of the tournament was too good for Sunrisers Hyderabad on a pitch that offered seam movement for at least seven overs followed by grip off the surface too. SRH were bowled out for the lowest total in an IPL final, 113, which KKR chased down with 57 balls to spare thanks to Venkatesh Iyer’s blitz of 52 off 26.
From wooden spoon holders in the previous season to runners-up this year, Sunrisers Hyderabad can be proud of their campaign under the leadership of Pat Cummins. They smashed batting records left, right and center in the group stages and ironically, it’s their batting that let them down on the big night. Both Head and Abhishek getting dismissed for single-digits happened only twice and unfortunately both were against KKR and in the playoffs.
Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, were relentless. In fact, that’s how they’ve been playing for a while. Didn’t lose a single match this month, finished at the top of the table, beat SRH convincingly in Ahmedabad in Qualifier 1 and gave them a bigger thrashing at Chepauk in the final. Terrific all-round performance throughout the tournament.
Four batters with 350+ runs, five bowlers with 17+ wickets. Salt/Gurbaz giving brisk starts at the top, Mitchell Starc stepping up in the playoffs and the Knight Riders’ linchpins – Narine and Russell – being consistent.
It wasn’t just the overseas players, even the Indian players made vital contributions – Venkatesh Iyer, Varun Chakravarthy, the uncapped pace duo of Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora, Ramandeep’s little cameos and his fielding. And, of course, Shreyas Iyer. He came into this competition with a lot of uncertainties but he led KKR to the IPL championship.
The fireworks go off in Chennai. A one-sided IPL final like never before! A Knightmare for Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR’s captain Shreyas Iyer takes a stump as souvenir and he has a bright smile. Kavya Maran, meanwhile, is in tears. Sunil Narine lifts Gautam Gambhir and KKR’s mentor returns the favour. Two individuals who rarely show any emotions have beaming smiles on their faces. Dre Russ in tears, this is what this triumph means to him. Shreyas Iyer picks up the trophy to bring curtains to IPL 2024.