After 73 matches, starting from 22 March, the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League’s final will be held on Sunday between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Coincidentally, both KKR and SRH finished top of the table, respectively, in the league stage. Shreyas Iyer’s team finished top of the IPL 2024 points table with nine wins in 14 matches, and Pat Cummins’s team won eight matches and lost five to finish second in the points table.
Kolkata was the first team to qualify for the playoffs and defeated SRH in the first qualifier. Still, SRH bounced back and defeated Rajasthan Royals in the second qualifier at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday by 36 runs.
ALSO READ: RR vs SRH IPL 2024: Sunil Gavaskar slams Riyan Parag after Rajasthan lose to Hyderabad; ‘don’t have the temperament…’
With things working fine in favour of KKR, as they not only practice on Friday, but will also hold a net session on Saturday evening between 6 PM to 9 PM IST.
On the contrary, Sunrisers cancelled their practice session for the final and opted for a much-needed rest day, as they played on Friday.
Looking at Gautam Gambhir-mentored KKR, the team played just one match against Gujarat Titans on 13 May and Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on 19 May. Both these two were abandoned due to rain. Their last IPL match was against Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 11 May, so KKR practising for the finals is relatively understandable.
ALSO READ: Will Gautam Gambhir become new India head coach? Here’s what Jay Shah’s statement hints
While for SRH, they have been playing continuous cricket and defeated RCB in the eliminator and RR in the qualifier 2 of the IPL.
IPL 2024 final:
It will be the third time KKR will face SRH in this session. While KKR won two IPL trophies in 2012 and 2014, SRH lifted the trophy in 2016.
You are on Mint! India’s #1 news destination (Source: Press Gazette). To learn more about our business coverage and market insights Click Here!
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
