KKR vs SRH Highlights, IPL 2024 Qualifier 1: Shreyas, Venkatesh thump Sunrisers to lead Kolkata to 4th IPL final

Elated by the performance, the responsibility was important, and we stood for each other, extremely happy with the performances. The rejuvenation was important for us. When you travel so much. It's important to stay in the present. Today was the day we had to maximise, we did it and that's what we thrive on. I think the way every bowler stood up to this occasion, the way they came in and took wickets was imperative. The attitude and approach of all bowlers was to take wickets and they did. When you have a variety in the bowling line-up, it's mesmerising. They have been true in terms of their work ethics, hopefully we keep performing. It was Gurbaz's first game and he gave an impactful start. We had to make sure we carried forward the same run rate. I don't know Tamil, I understand. Venky speaks in Tamil, I reply in Hindi. We need to be in our zone in the final and make sure we give our best.

More than the confidence I was really wanting to go out and bat, we last played a game on 11th, so we all were eager to go out and showcase our talent. The wicket was really good. In a tournament like this, momentum is really important, we have seen RCB winning their matches and gaining the momentum even we wanted that momentum, so we wanted to go out and wanted the rain to stop but it was disappointing. But, we were the table toppers and we have got a lot of support from the management. It is always special for players like us to play in the IPL final, it’s a dreamy moment for us, going to Chennai and looking forward to it. We were raring to go out there, when you have the momentum you want to really go out there. You saw Rinku fielding in hot spots and taking those catches, it’s the excitement we have to go out there and perform.

Pat Cummins: We will try to put this behind quickly, good thing we will have another crack at it (second qualifier). You have those days in T20 cricket where things don't quite work out. We weren't where we wanted with the bat and obviously couldn't do much with the ball. Felt that extra batting was important (picking the impact sub) on this wicket. Thought KKR bowled well, there was a little bit in it early on and the surface got better. We all have played enough cricket, and going to a new venue (Chennai) helps us as well, so we gotta keep this behind and move on.

After the lows of two consecutive seasons, KKR have returned with a bang. They topped the league-stage standings with a record NRR and have demolished Sunrisers with a clinical all-round performance to make their fourth IPL final. Not to forget the return of Shreyas Iyer. Having missed out on the last season with injury and walked into this season with a BCCI contract snub hanging over his head, Shreyas has led the side admirably to make the final this time. 

Head wafts one on length and Shreyas pumps it down the ground for a huge SIX. Short and he belts it across the line for FOUR. SIX more! Shreyas smashes the length ball over deep mid-wicket for another maximum and brings up his half-century. And a SIX to finish the game! Shreyas nails the shot down the ground and sends Kolkata into their fourth IPL final!

Nitish Reddy into the attack. SRH have run out of ploys to extract wickets and it may be a tad late too now.

Short ball from Nitish and Shreyas steers it neatly through square-leg for FOUR.  A single to follow. Nitish angles in another short delivery but Venkatesh clobbers it over mid-wicket for a massive SIX!

Shreyas Iyer was dropped twice in the space of one over, and it summed up Sunrisers Hyderabad's night. It summed up Rahul Tripathi and Travis Head's night too. First was an attempted scoop by Shreyas Iyer off Viyaskanth's bowling. The ball hit Heinrich Klaasen behind the stumps and looped up. Klaasen reacted quickly and sprinted towards short square leg where the ball was headed, but as was Tripathi. While Klaasen put in the dive and nearly completed the catch, Tripathi's momentum made the players collide, and he kicked the ball off the keeper's gloves. For the second time in the match, Tripathi was at the wrong end of a horrific mixup, after he was run out earlier in bizarre fashion. The next over, Head put down arguably the simplest catch of them all. Shreyas hit Natarajan on the up, the ball couldn't have been hit straighter to the fielder at point, but it was in and out for Head, who's return to Ahmedabad wasn't as memorable as November 19 was. Out for a duck, then a sitter put down. - Vinayakk Mohanarangan

Travis Head into the attack

A floater outside off and Venkatesh rocks back to cut through backward point for FOUR. A single to follow. Loopy delivery down leg and Shreyas sweeps it down third for FOUR.

Natarajan offers room and Shreyas slices it straight to point but Head puts down a sitter. And Shreyas rubs some salt into the wounds as he smites the length ball from Natarajan over long-off for SIX. A couple of singles to follow. Shreyas is in a hurry as he parries a short ball from Natarajan past third for another FOUR!

What happened there? Iyer attempts a pre-meditated paddle and it bounces straight off Klaasen to the on-side. He scrambles to pouch it but collides with the short-mid-wicket fielder and spills it! A couple of singles to follow and KKR cross 100 within 10 overs! Short again from Viyaskanth and Venkatesh deposits it into the mid-wicket stands for SIX!

Slower-ball on length from Cummins and Venkatesh belts it through mid-wicket for FOUR. He attempts another short ball to the rib-cage but Venkatesh swivels and guides it down to fine leg for a single. Cummins sprays the ball outside the off-stump and Shreyas nimbly dabs it past third for FOUR.

Vijaykanth Viyaskanth into the attack

Viyaskanth floats one in and Iyer unleashes a huge slog-sweep for SIX over deep mid-wicket. A string of singles to follow. 11 from the over.

Cummins returns

Width on offer and Narine gets a thick outside-edge over the keeper for FOUR. Cummins to Narine, OUT! Straight to mid-wicket. Cummins induces the false stroke with the bumper as Narine failed to ride the bounce this time. Shreyas Iyer is in at 4. He dabs a slower-ball from Cummins to point for a single. 

Sunil Narine c Viyaskanth b Cummins 21 (16b 4x4)

After a stoppage play due to a problem with his bat, Narine gets a knock on the head from a Natarajan bouncer. The physio comes in but he seems to be fine. Natarajan continues to Narine with a string of dots. Four of them now and he sends in a short ball which is deemed wide. Short again but Narine belts it through mid-wicket for FOUR. A single will end the Powerplay.

Bhuvi continues. He strays to the pads and Iyer flicks it fine for FOUR. In the slot this time and Venkatesh lofts it over mid-off for another FOUR. Bhuvneshwar mixes up his lengths with an outswinger and a bouncer. Three dots to close the fifth.

T Natarajan into the attack

Natarajan to Gurbaz, OUT! Straight to the cover fielder. Gurbaz charges to utilise the minimal width on offer but fails to get the desired timing to clear the circle. Venkatesh Iyer is in at 3. Natarajan strays to the pads and Iyer flicks it down leg for FOUR.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz c Viyaskanth b Natarajan 23 (14b 2x4 2x6)

Bhuvneshwar slides one in sharply to hit Narine's pad. The ball trickles down to the fence for FOUR again but SRH review. Pitching outside-leg and SRH lose another review. A loosener on length and Gurbaz biffs the ball over long-on for a huge SIX! Gurbaz is filling in nicely in Salt's absence. Bhuvneshwar hits the deck and Gurbaz slaps it over Cummins at mid-on for another FOUR. 18 comes off the over and KKR are waltzing in the Powerplay yet again.

Pat Cummins into the attack

Cummins lands on the full and Narine pumps it just over mid-off for FOUR. Cummins strays to the pad and Narine flicks it through mid-wicket for another FOUR. Short ball onto the shoulders and Narine mistimes the pull to the deep but gets away. Cummins rushes one to the pads as Gurbaz shuffles across yet again. The umpire denies a leg-before as the ball trickles down to the fence for FOUR leg-byes. Not Out as the replays suggest the wickets are missing on the DRS. Cummins offers length and Gurbaz gets a thick outside-edge with a charge flying over short-third for FOUR. Cummins strays down the leg-side and concedes a wide this time. 

Pat Cummins into the attack

Cummins lands on the full and Narine pumps it just over mid-off for FOUR. Cummins strays to the pad and Narine flicks it through mid-wicket for another FOUR.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar takes the new ball. Gurbaz on strike with a slip in place.

Gurbaz preempts the inswinger and shuffles across to tap the ball towards mid-on. A hint of swing for Bhuvneshwar but Gurbaz leans into the drive and creams it through cover for FOUR. Klaasen stands upto the stumps almost instantly. Bhuvi hits the channel outside-off and beats the outside-edge faintly before the ball drops short of the regulation first slip. Gurbaz reels in two runs and Klaasen moves back to his initial position. An inswinger to follow and Gurbaz drives it to the cover fielder.

Cummins leads his Orange Army out to the field as Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz open the chase for Kolkata.

Length from Russell and Viyaskanth dabs it past point. A bit of sloppiness in the deep and the batters reel in three runs! Russell follows up with a yorker to Cummins, no run. Russell to Cummins, OUT! Straight up and Gurbaz does the rest. Cummins attempts a big heave across the line but gets the edge to scoop straight up. A see-sawing contest here with KKR having their noses ahead at the halfway mark. But Sunrisers have done well to reach a fighting total.

Pat Cummins c †Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Russell 30 (24b 2x4 2x6)

Starc v Cummins - hat-trick ball. Starc fires one in to the blockhole and Cummins digs it out safely. He follows up with a single. Viyaskanth squeezes a single. Starc pumps the ball short and Cummins gets a toe-edge to fly over the keeper for SIX! Full and wide, Cummins slices it deftly past short-third for FOUR!

Varun to bowl out. Length ball from Varun and Cummins unleashes a reverse-scoop for SIX! He drags one through square-leg for a single. Viyaskanth drives a fuller ball down to long-off for a single. Cummins slog-sweeps to square-leg for another run. 

Cummins is handicapped now with minimal support at the other end. How is he going to roll from here? Harshit constricts Cummins with a couple of slower deliveries. A couple of singles to follow. Room from Rana and Cummins smears it through backward point for FOUR. He keeps strike with a single. Excellent from Pat.

Varun slides in a couple of deliveries and Cummins fails to tap it across for runs. He leaves a delivery on length hoping for a wide but it's well within the tramline. Cummins lofts one to long-on and finds a single. Varun slides one to Bhuvneshwar's pad but it is sliding down leg. Varun to Bhuvneshwar, now that looks OUT! Straighter delivery, skidding through and it hits Bhuvi high on the pad. The umpire raises the finger but SRH review. Three reds and Bhuvi is on his way.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar lbw b Varun 0 (4b)

Cummins and Samad tap Harshit for a couple of singles as SRH totter in their search of a good total. Harshit to Samad, OUT! Straight to long-on. A cutter on length and Samad slaps it straight to the fielder. Misery for Sunrisers. Bhuvneshwar is in at 10.

Abdul Samad c SS Iyer b Harshit Rana 16 (12b 2x6)

Half the side gone in 11 overs – most of them batsmen who have carried the team throughout the season. A pitch on which 199 and 200 have been chased down earlier in the tournament. Another wicket at that stage may have forced Sunrisers Hyderabad to bring in their Impact Substitute a lot earlier than they would have liked to. If any of these concerns bothered Abdul Samad as he strode out to the middle at the fall of Heinrich Klaasen's wicket, it was not evident on the first ball he faced. When Sunil Narine bowled a length ball on off-stump, he would have expected his reputation and match situation to prompt some discretion. But Samad decided he didn't need any sighters. The first ball was smashed deep into the mid-wicket stands on the leg-side. He repeated the dose off the first ball after bthe strategic timeout, and after the dismissals of half-centurion Rahul Tripathi and Impact Sub Sanvir Singh, Samad was left to attempt the heavy lifting towards the end of the innings. - Tushar Bhaduri

Narine strides in with a length ball and Samad dances down and wallops him over deep mid-wicket for a huge SIX! Narine to Samad, OUT! Run-out after a huge mix-up! Samad taps Narine towards point and sets off on a single without looking at his partner. Tripathi is caught in two minds and ends up sacrificing his wicket. But that was a commendable stop from Russell at point to initiate the mix-up there. Narine to Sanvir, OUT! A pearler to clean up the Impact Player first ball! Narine gets one to swoosh through sharply with late turn and Sanvir cannot fend off the incoming delivery. KKR have struck back sharply in a matter of minutes.

Rahul Tripathi run out (Russell/†Rahmanullah Gurbaz) 55 (35b 7x4 1x6); Sanvir Singh b Narine 0(1)

Varun skims through a tight over. The pressure is back on the Sunrisers as Tripathi and Samad churn runs through singles. Just the five from the over.

For SRK-owned KKR, it's a name they know well. Rahul Tripathi was a KKR man, and played many memorable knocks for the former champions. On Tuesday in Ahmedabad though, they should have seen the back of him early but missed out. In the middle of a stunning opening spell, arguably the best ball Mitch Starc bowled went without a wicket. It was an inswinging yorker to the right-hander, the ball curved in the air so much and zoned into the base of the stumps. Rahul trid to get the bat down in time but Starc was immediately confirmed it was boot first. Shreyas Iyer didn't review, signalled bat first. But the first replay immediately made it clear KKR got it wrong. And ball-tracking later showed it was plumb. Rahul made the most of the chance and scored an entertaining half-century amid all the chaos, filled with typically innovative shots behind the wicket. - Vinayakk Mohanarangan

Tripathi finds a single first up against Narine. In the slot and Abdul Samad pumps it over long-on for a SIX first ball! Narine closes out the over with a couple of singles.

Varun Chakaravarthy replaces Narine

He starts with a no ball. Varun darts in a yorker to negate Tripathi. A string of singles and Tripathi pounces on a short ball to slap it through mid-wicket for FOUR and gets to his FIFTY! A single to follow. Varun to Klaasen, OUT! He holes out to the deep! Varun offers the bait with a slower delivery in the slot and Klaasen fails to clear the cow-corner fielder with his slog. That's a huge blow for SRH.

Heinrich Klaasen c Singh b Varun 32 (21b 3x4 1x6)

Varun Chakaravarthy replaces Narine

He starts with a no ball. Varun darts in a yorker to negate Tripathi.

Andre Russell into the attack

Short and wide from Russell and Klaasen smashes it over backward point for SIX! A single to follow. Russell sends in a bumper and Tripathi goes over te keeper with another cheeky cut for FOUR. He mistimes the pull but it falls safe at mid-on for a single.

Back after the time-out. Narine continues. Subdued batting from Klaasen as he nudges another single. Tripathi shuffles across and paddles Narine fine for FOUR to break the rut. Narine floats the ball in and Tripathi brings out the sweep for a counter. Klaasen reels in two runs with a tap to sweeper cover. And he's had enough as he clobbers Narine over long-off for a SIX! Fraction short and Klaasen biffs it past wide long-off this time for FOUR.

Trust Mitchell Starc to make a big impact in the first over of a big match. Brendon McCullum in the World Cup final nine years ago, Travis Head in the IPL Qualifier 1 on Tuesday. The left-arm paceman had not quite lived up to his record auction price, but the winner of two 50-over World Cups and a 20-over crown knows when to bring out his best. The duel with his compatriot was key to the early momentum in the game and right on cue, Starc found the devilish movement that makes him such a dangerous proposition. The first ball was a wide one, moving further away, which Head drove without finding the gap. There was almost a run-out at the bowler's end. The next ball was on a length, seemingly homing in at middle-stump, before snaking away at the last moment to make a mess of the off- and middle-stump as the opener went for an ambitious shot. Maybe, Head could have been a bit conservative in his intentions and had a bit more of a look-in, but that's not how he has played in this IPL. Starc seemed a different bowler to the one earlier in the tournament and dismissed Rahul Tripathi and Shahbaz Ahmed off successive balls in his third over to put Kolkata Knight Riders in the box seat. - Tushar Bhaduri

Klaasen knocks Rana for a single. Harshit offers width again and Tripathi dabs it through backward point for one run. Harshit follows up with a slower-bouncer outside off and it is signalled a wide. Another one on the shorter side but Tripathi nimbly parries it over the keeper for SIX! A couple of singles to follow as Klaasen continues to maintain his guard.

Sunil Narine replaces Starc

Narine attempts to attack the off-stump and Tripathi slices it down to third for a single. Klaasen drives one to long-off for a single. The batters continue to tread on ones and twos. Five runs from the over.

Harshit Rana into the attack

Width on offer for Klaasen and he creams it through the off-side for FOUR. Harshit skims through a rather decent over though, just the six from it as KKR closes the PP on a high.

Travis Head has been constantly making headlines for good reasons in the past year. The World Test Championship final. The ODI World Cup final. His stunning starts for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL this season. But over his last two appearances, the swinging white ball has done Head in. In SRH's last league match and in Qualifier 1, Head lasted a total of 3 deliveries and made zero runs. On both occasions, dismissed in the first over by a left-arm pacer. On both occasions, bowled. On both occasions, the ball hitting the top of offstump. Against Punjab Kings, Arshdeep Singh landed it on a good length and ball straightened as Head was stuck on the crease. In the big match against SRH, it was a Mitch Starc special. This was fuller in length, and the ball swung again. This time the top of middle and off and the stumps were in disarray. Head got his lines wrong. - Vinayakk Mohanarangan

Starc overpitches and Nitish smites the ball over cover for FOUR. He taps another through cover for a single. Tripathi covers his stumps neatly and tucks the ball for another single. Starc to Nitish, OUT! Straight up! Starc rushes Nitish with a firm bouncer and he's a touch late on the pull. A skier but Gurbaz pouches it safely and KKR have annihilated SRH within the PowerPlay. Starc to Shahbaz, OUT! Knocked him over! Starc unfurls a replay of the delivery to Head and rushes past Shahbaz's hanging blade to knock the off-stump down. 

Nitish Kumar Reddy c Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Starc 9 (10b 1x4); Shahbaz Ahmed b Starc 0 (1b)

Starc overpitches and Nitish smites the ball over cover for FOUR.

Tripathi gives a charge against Arora and mistimes the slog over mid-off for two runs. Arora slides one in with a deft off-cutter and Tripathi does well to fend it off the stumps. Loosener on length and Tripathi swipes it over mid-wicket for FOUR and it's a no ball as he oversteps. Arora responds with a firm bumper to the keeper. A couple of singles to follow. Nitish flicks the ball through mid-wicket and reels in two runs. Arora wavers with a wide delivery outside the off-stump. 

Starc swings one down leg for a wide against Nitish. He follows up with a single. Length from Starc and Tripathi nimbly scoops it for FOUR. Loud shout as Starc swooshes one in sharply on Tripathi's toe. Starc is desperate but the umpire turns him down. It looks to be pad first but KKR surprisingly do not take the review!

Vaibhav Arora from the opposite end

Abhishek taps the first ball through backward point for two runs. Abhisek gives a charge but Vaibhav moves the ball for a wide on the off-side. Straighter on length and Abhishek slides it to deep point for a single. Vaibhav shapes one in towards the pad and Tripathi watchfully nudges it to the off-side for a single. Vaibhav to Abhishek, OUT! Straight to Dre Russ! Sunrisers' worst fears have been unlocked here. Arora wafts one outside the off-stump and Abhishek mistimes the chip. Russell leaps up high in the air and grabs the ball to jolt the Sunrisers. Nitish Kumar Reddy walks in at 4.

Abhishek Sharma c Russell b Arora 3 (4b)

Mitchell Starc takes the new ball.  Rahmanullah Gurbaz will be donning the gloves for KKR. Head is on strike, a slip in place. 

Fuller ball outside the off-stump and Head taps it towards cover and sets off on a risky single. Sent back, and a direct-hit at the non-striker's would have made it tight. Starc to Head, OUT! Knocked him over! He castles the off-stump with a skiddy, quicker delivery. Head plays all around the ball and falls for a second consecutive duck! What a start for KKR! Rahul Tripathi is in at 3. Starc straightens one from length but hits Tripathi high on the pad. Starc darts one in to the blockhole and Tripathi digs it out past point for FOUR. Starc overpitchs and Tripathi flays it through cover for FOUR!

Travis Head b Starc 0 (2b)

Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head walk out for SRH as Shreyas Iyer's men take the field.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact Subs: Sanvir Singh, Umran Malik, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Jaydev Unadkat

Kolkata Knight Riders Impact Subs: Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, KS Bharat, Sherfane Rutherford

TOSS: Sunrisers Hyderabad win toss, opt to bat

Cummins: We gonna have a bat, looks like a good wicket and expect a high-scoring game. The batting group has been amazing for us and hopefully more of the same tonight. We are playing pretty much the same eleven as the last game.

Iyer: I would have loved to bowl. I had a chat with the curator and he said it's a mixed soil, let's see how it plays, hoping for a good game. Important that we keep the momentum going and stay in the present. Great achievement (finising at the top of the table) and everyone is proud of it, we are taking one match at a time and we need to be positive about what's going to happen here. We are going with the same team.

Andre Russell: I think we have been having a tremendous season, this is where all the teams strive to reach, we have a good thing going, I hope tonight we can keep playing some good positive cricket. We are still focused, we have no control over the weather, we were prepared to play warm-up and everything, the energy was still there. I have been hitting the ball well, I missed out on a few innings where I could have pushed the score more. With the balance in the team, it gives me the confidence to go out and play my shots. We have Rinku and Ramandeep behind, who can hit sixes and do what I do, it gives me freedom. Bowling as well, I’m happy to come on when the captain needs me and I’m doing a decent job with the ball. We have done some homework and we need to keep things simple. Once we stick to our lengths, big ground here tonight, we are going to utilise as much as we can and restrict them.

KKR predicted XI: Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana

Impact player: Varun Chakravarthy

SRH predicted XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Sanvir Singh, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth,

Impact player: T Natarajan

Matthew Hayden analyses: The outfield is green and lush. The square boundaries are 63 metres each while it is 70 metres down the ground. The pitch looks a touch dry. Will suit bowlers who will use the off-pace deliveries. In some areas, around the good length, there's a bit of moisture, but it is hard. The power hitters will play a major role here, looks like a good batting wicket. Won't spin much. 

That Abhishek has not played more than 30 deliveries remains as a mindblowing fact. But will his tactics see a change in the decider? SRH would want him to continue in the same vein and maximise the hitting in the PowerPlay. Will he succeed tonight in Ahmedabad?

Andre Russell batting v T Natarajan: Innings - 6, Runs - 43, SR - 165.38, Dismissals - 1

Russell batting v Bhuvneshwar: Innings - 5, Runs - 97, SR - 262.16, Dismissals - 1

Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling vs Sunil Narine: Innings - 9, Runs: 28, SR: 112.00, Dismissals: 2

Played: 26, Kolkata Knight Riders won: 16, Sunrisers Hyderabad won: 9, Tied: 1

KKR vs SRH head-to-head record in IPL Playoffs

Played: 3, Kolkata Knight Riders: 0, Sunrisers Hyderabad: 3

KKR win/loss record in IPL playoffs

Played: 13, Won: 8, Lost: 5

SRH win/loss record in IPL Playoff

Played: 11, Won: 5, Lost: 6

Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana

Impact player: Varun Chakravarthy

676: Abhishek Sharma - Travis Head (HS: 167*, Ave: 61.45, Run Rate: 13.74)

670: Faf du Plessis - Virat Kohli (HS: 125, Ave: 47.85, RR: 10.10)

559: Sunil Narine - Phil Salt (HS: 138, Ave: 46.58, RR: 12.46)

Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Sanvir Singh, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth,

Impact player: T Natarajan