KKR clinch IPL title with dominant win over SRH

KATHMANDU: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured the Indian Premier League (IPL) title with a commanding victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday evening.

Chasing a target of 114 runs set by SRH, KKR comfortably reached the target with eight wickets in hand, completing the chase in the third ball of the 11th over.

KKR lost just two wickets in their pursuit. Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 32 runs, while Sunil Narine added 6 runs.

Venkatesh Iyer remained unbeaten on 52, and Shreyas Iyer contributed an unbeaten 6 runs to ensure the team’s victory.

Despite taking one wicket each, Pat Cummins and Shahbaz Ahmed from SRH couldn’t prevent their team’s humiliating defeat.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite their impressive journey to the final, failed to deliver with the bat against KKR.

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, SRH was bowled out for 113 runs with nine balls remaining.

Both SRH openers struggled, and the subsequent batsmen couldn’t find their rhythm either.

Abhishek Sharma was bowled for 2 runs, and Travis Head was dismissed for a golden duck.

Rahul Tripathi managed 9 runs off 13 balls, Aiden Markram scored 20, and captain Pat Cummins made 24, which turned out to be the highest score of their innings.

Other contributors included Nitish Kumar (13), Heinrich Klaasen (16), Shahbaz Ahmed (8), Abdul Samad (4), and Jaydev Unadkat, who faced 11 balls for his 4 runs.

KKR’s bowlers put on a clinical performance with Mitchell Starc and Harshit Rana taking two wickets each, while Andre Russell claimed three wickets in just 2.3 overs.

Vaibhav Arora, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy each chipped in with one wicket apiece.

This comprehensive performance by KKR in the final capped off their successful IPL campaign, marking a significant achievement for the team.