Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were outclassed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2024 final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday (May 26).
Opting to bat first, SRH’s innings folded for a paltry 113 in 18.3 overs. It was a listless batting display as no one managed to touch the 30-run mark. Skipper Pat Cummins was the top scorer with 24 off 19 balls.
Mitchell Starc starred with the ball for KKR, returning with the figures of 2 for 14 in three overs. Andre Russel (3-19), Harshit Rana (2-24) and Vaibhav Arora (1-24) shared three wickets among them.
In reply, KKR overhauled the target with eight wickets and 57 deliveries to spare. While Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 39 off 32 balls at the top, Venkatesh Iyer stayed unbeaten on 52 off 26 balls to seal the deal.
Despite the disappointing outcome in the final, SRH captain Cummins said he was proud of his side's brave performances right through the memorable campaign.
Cummins, who led Australia to World Test Championship and World Cup triumphs last year, admitted that KKR outplayed his side in the title clash.
“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,” Cummins said in the post-match interaction.
“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,” he added.
Reflecting on the team’s aggressive brand of cricket, Cummins said: “So many (positives), the style that 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.”
Pat Cummins also appreciated the opportunity to work with both experienced and young players in the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“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,” Cummins concluded.
