SRH were totally outplayed by KKR in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2024.
Despite the heavy defeat, SRH skipper Pat Cummins didn’t appear to be overly fussed and asked his teammates “to put this one behind pretty quickly”.
Having finished the league phase at the second position, the Sunrisers will get another chance to secure a place in the IPL 2024 final. They will now take on the winner of Eliminator between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2.
“I guess we have earned the right to have one of those days and still win tournaments,” Cummins said at the post-match presentation ceremony. “Not our day but good thing we have another crack at it [qualifying for the final].”
Opting to bat first, SRH’s innings folded for a below-par 159 in 19.3 overs as left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc (3-34 in 4 overs) wreaked havoc with the new ball for KKR.
In reply, the Knight Riders rode on half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer (58* off 24) and Venkatesh Iyer (51* off 28) to overhaul the target with 38 deliveries to spare.
“A bit off the pace,” Cummins said of his team’s effort. “Think you have those days in T20 cricket. Even when you are a very good side, you have some days where it doesn’t quite work out.
“Few guys didn’t get off to starts so we were probably short of where we wanted to be with the bat. And then yeah, couldn’t get it done with the ball. Kolkata bowled really well. That wicket got better but there was a little bit in it early. But it happens.”
SRH’s move to introduce Sanvir Singh as their Impact Player when they were 121/6 became a topic of debate. Sanvir failed to make a difference as Sunil Narine knocked him over for a first-ball duck.
“Sunny [Sanvir] played the last game. We were kind of hoping not to use the batting sub to keep Umran [Malik] up our sleeve on that wicket but felt like the extra batting was important,” Cummins said.
The second qualifier will be held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday (May 24).
“Going to a new venue helps as well. It is going to be a bit different feel to here, so you start again,” Cummins said. “We have got a good body of work behind us this season to look back on, so we erase this one and move on.”