Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) powered their way to the final of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) with a dominant eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, May 21.
SRH won the toss and elected to bat first. However, Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc in the powerplay, dismissing dangerman Travis Head for a duck and taking three wickets overall. Despite a half-century from Rahul Tripathi and a quick-fire cameo from Heinrich Klaasen, SRH could only manage 159 runs.
In reply, KKR chased down the target comfortably with 38 balls to spare. Skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front with a blistering knock of 58 runs off just 24 balls. Venkatesh Iyer also chipped in with an unbeaten half-century, scoring 51 runs off 28 deliveries.
Shreyas Makes History:
Shreyas Iyer has etched his name in IPL history by reaching the final as captain for the second time in his career. The Indian batter previously led the Delhi Capitals (DC) to their maiden IPL final in 2020, where they fell short against the Mumbai Indians.
Iyer becomes only the fourth captain to reach the IPL final multiple times, joining an elite group that includes MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir. Notably, Dhoni, Rohit, and Gambhir achieved the feat with the same franchise.
Captains Reaching IPL Finals:
- MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings): 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023
- Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians): 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020
- Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Knight Riders): 2012, 2014
- Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders): 2020, 2024
Iyer's Captaincy Journey:
Iyer's first taste of captaincy came in 2018 when he replaced Gautam Gambhir as DC skipper midway through the season. He led the franchise until 2020 when Rishabh Pant took over after an injury to Iyer in 2021. Following the captaincy change, Iyer parted ways with DC and joined KKR in the 2022 mega auction, where he was immediately named captain. He missed the 2023 season due to injury.
The 2024 season marks a historic moment for KKR as they topped the league stage for the first time, under Iyer's leadership.
