TATA IPL 2024: SRH Beats RR by 36 Runs, Heads to Final Against KKR
Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma, both left-arm spin all-rounders, took a total of five wickets as Sunrisers Hyderabad secured a spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 title match against Kolkata Knight Riders. They achieved this by defeating Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs in the Qualifier 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Shahbaz took 3 wickets for 23 runs while Abhishek took 2 wickets for 24 runs. Together, they bowled nine overs, conceding only 57 runs on a dry pitch. Their performance, combined with the absence of dew, led to a batting collapse for Rajasthan Royals.
Dhruv Jurel fought valiantly, scoring an unbeaten 56 off 35 balls. However, it wasn't enough as RR ended at 139/7, dashing their hopes of winning the title. The result also means SRH has entered an IPL final for the third time. Their upcoming match against KKR on Sunday will be their clash of this season against the two-time champions.
Chasing a target of 176, Yashasvi Jaiswal got off to a good start with two boundaries off Bhuvneshwar Kumar. However, Tom Kohler-Cadmore had a tough time trying to score runs from the other end. He moved around the pitch and changed his position at the crease in an attempt to break free, but he was unable to do so. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bowled tightly and kept the pressure on the English batsman.
Kohler-Cadmore’s struggle came to an end on 16-ball 10 when he skied to cover point off Pat Cummins. Jaiswal pushed the scoring rate when he dispatched a short ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar over long-on for a six, followed by driving down the ground and through extra cover to pick two fours in a 19-run over as RR reached 51/1 at the end of power-play.
Jaiswal's innings ended on 42 in the eighth over when he miscued a lofted shot off Shahbaz and was caught at long-off. With a longer boundary to target against right-handed batsmen using slower deliveries, SRH regained control of the game with the help of the left-arm spinners Shahbaz and Abhishek.
Abhishek had Sanju Samson pulling straight to long-on, followed by Riyan Parag top-edging to deep mid-wicket and Ravichandran Ashwin nicking behind off Shahbaz. Abhishek came back to rattle Shimron Hetmyer’s stumps with a flat and quick delivery, while Rovman Powell pulled straight to mid-wicket off T. Natarajan.
Jurel kept RR in the hunt with his reverse-sweep and inside-out drive fetching boundaries off Shahbaz, followed by driving twice off Abhishek for a brace of fours. He took a six off Cummins, before pulling him twice for fours to get a fighting fifty. But his late efforts went in vain as SRH stormed into their third IPL final in emphatic fashion.
