| May 22, 2024, 5:34 am IST
Mitchell Starc’s bowling heroics and Shreyas Iyer’s batter masterclass helped table-toppers KKR defeat in-form SRH by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday, securing their place in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Shreyas Iyer’s motivation in this match was clear. The World Cup 2023 final loss was a painful memory, and facing Pat Cummins and Travis Head again in such a crucial match was a chance for redemption.
The World Cup 2023 final loss for India at the Narendra Modi Stadium against Pat Cummins’ Australia is one of the most heartbreaking moments in the history of Indian cricket. It is still fresh in the minds of millions of cricket fans. When Pat Cummins led SRH, including Travis Head, the centurion of that World Cup final, took on KKR, Shreyas Iyer would have had that World Cup final loss in mind. Determined to avenge that defeat, Shreyas and his team hammered SRH by eight wickets with 38 balls to spare, storming into the IPL 2024 final.
See Also: KKR advance to IPL 2024 final with convincing 8-wicket victory over SRH
Shreyas Iyer smashed 58 off just 24 balls, including three sixes and a four against Travis Head on consecutive deliveries. This power-hitting spectacle came in the 14th over, the last over of the game, sealing KKR’s victory.
The first ball of the over, a fuller one on the middle stump line by Head, was launched deep into the stands towards the deep mid-wicket region. The second delivery was powered away with disdain for a boundary. The third delivery, a tossed-up one, saw Shreyas Iyer reaching his fifty with another biggie over deep mid-wicket. The final winning six was launched over long-on with great swagger, showcasing Iyer’s dominance.
The loss for SRH means that they will now play the winner of the Eliminator between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru and would be hoping to win that game and avenge this loss in the final of IPL 2024 at Chepauk on 26th of May.
Under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, KKR has reached new heights:
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Annual Player Contracts for Team India (Senior Men) for the 2023-24 season on February 28 but axed Shreyas Iyer from the list. Iyer was excluded from the list of centrally contracted players for not playing in the Ranji Trophy.
Despite the exclusion, Iyer has shown his tremendous talent in IPL 2024, leading KKR to the playoffs and now into the final.
After KKR’s dominant win, fans and cricket enthusiasts took to social media to praise Shreyas Iyer for his great captaincy and explosive batting. Hashtags and posts celebrating Iyer’s leadership and performance have been trending, highlighting his impact on KKR’s success this season.
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IPL 2024IPL 2024 Qualifier 1KKR vs SRHKolkata Knight RidersShreyas IyerSRH Vs KKRSunrisers HyderabadRohit Sharma on being asked if England were rightly awarded the World Cup title in 2019
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