Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stormed into the IPL 2024 final with a thumping eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday (May 21).
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, KKR 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.
After the game, skipper Shreyas highlighted the collective effort that led to their empathic win and praised the resilience and adaptability of his bowlers.
"Yeah. Elated by the performance. Everyone chipped in and extremely happy with the performances. Everyone took the responsibility. Absolutely. We kept on traveling from one state to other. It's not easy travelling from Kolkata to Guwahati. We were not thinking about what happened in the past. We just thought we had to maximize tonight. Brilliant. I think the way each and every bowler stood up to the occasion. Once we went at nine runs per over but the way we came back was brilliant. The attitude from each bowler was to come back and pick wickets which was important," Shreyas said at the post-match presentation.
The KKR captain added that nobody was taking their place for granted in the line-up and will hope to continue the winning momentum in the title clash, scheduled for May 26 at Chepauk.
Shreyas Iyer also spoke about his unbeaten 97-run stand with Venkatesh Iyer, saying that he can understand Tamil but not speak it.
"When you have varieties in the bowling line-up. They have been bowling throughout. They have been true in terms of their techniques. Nobody is taking their place for granted and hopefully, we will continue with the winning momentum. The way Gurbaz came in. This was his first game. He gave us an impactful start for us. Sunil also took on from there. We just had to come in and make sure that we carried forward it. The communication was a bit difficult with Venkatesh. He used to speak in Tamil and I can understand it but I can't speak. I used to reply in Hindi (laughs). Right now, it's important for us to enjoy the moment. We have won an important game. Come the match day, we will stay focused. Thank you," Shreyas remarked.
