SRH 159/10 in 20 Overs (Rahul Tripathi 55(35), Pat Cummins 32(21); Mitchell Starc 3/34 in 4 overs) lost to KKR 164/2 in 13.4 overs (Shreyas Iyers 58*(24), Venkatesh Iyer 51*(28); T Natarajan 1/22 in 3 overs) by 8 wickets
KKR clashed against SRH in the Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad in a much-awaited clash as both the teams came into the game with an incredible winning momentum and a sense of confidence. SRH chose to bat first after winning the toss and looked to put runs on the board in the big game. However, Mitchell Starc had different plans as he knocked Travis Head over on the second ball of the match to put KKR in the ascendancy. Vaibhav Arora from the other end picked up the crucial wicket of Abhishek Sharma as well to put the Knight Riders in complete control of the game right from the outset. KKR bowled tight lines and accurate lengths allowing no respite to the SRH batters. KKR looked to apply more pressure on the opposition, however resilience from Rahul Tripathi and Heinrich Klaasen helped SRH rebuild. Despite a good partnership, the momentum of the game swung back into KKR’s favor again as Varun Chakaravarthy picked up the crucial wicket of Klaasen. Followed by that, a brilliant fielding effort from Andre Russell helped KKR pick up the wicket of Tripathi as well. Everything looked to go the KKR way, however a crucial knock from captain Pat Cummins pushed SRH to a fighting total of 159. The onus was now upon the KKR batters to chase down the total and take KKR into the finale
KKR started their run chase in an explosive fashion as always with Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz taking the charge to the SRH bowlers. Gurbaz who was playing his first game this season stood up to the occasion in outstanding fashion and provided KKR with a great start. Despite the great start, KKR lost a couple of quick wickets and SRH looked to capitalize on the opportunity. However, Venkatesh Iyer walked into the game with a terrific counterattack and was joined by captain Shreyas Iyer to form an incredible partnership. Both batters played the field exceptionally well and picked the gap with ease. Fifties for the duo of Iyers meant KKR cruised to the target comfortably. Skipper Shreyas launched the ball into the crowd to complete an absolute dominant victory as it was the skipper who stayed till the end and helped KKR reach their 3rd final. All eyes will now be on the finale as KKR will look to get their hands on their 3rd IPL Title come this Sunday in Chennai.
