Kolkata defeats Hyderabad to advance to the IPL final, led by Starc.
Kolkata defeats Hyderabad to advance to the IPL final, led by Starc.
Mitchell Starc of the Kolkata Knight Riders celebrates with captain Shreyas Iyer after dismissing Nitish Kumar Reddy of Sunrisers Hyderabad during the Indian Premier League (IPL) game on May 21, 2024, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. IMAGE: AFP
In Tuesday's intense heat in Ahmedabad, Mitchell Starc delivered three early blows to help the Kolkata Knight Riders defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets and advance to the IPL final.
The left-arm fast Starc made history by becoming the most expensive purchase in IPL history when Kolkata paid $2.98 million for him, more than justifying his high asking price from the December auction.
After Hyderabad acquired Pat Cummins for $2.5 million at the same auction and appointed him captain, the number swiftly shattered the previous record.
After Hyderabad acquired Pat Cummins for $2.5 million at the same auction and appointed him captain, the number swiftly shattered the previous record.
With only 38 balls remaining, Kolkata reached their target in Ahmedabad thanks to unbroken scores from Venkatesh Iyer (51), and captain Shreyas Iyer (58).
Hyderabad's second opportunity to go to the final will come on Friday in Chennai when they play the winner of the eliminator.
Ahmedabad continued to be scorching, with afternoon highs above 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) for the second straight day.
Hyderabad's second opportunity to go to the final will come on Friday in Chennai when they play the winner of the eliminator.
Many of the 132,000-seat stadium's seats were unoccupied. More than 75,000 people braved the heat by arriving at the stadium with water bottles to stay hydrated, according to stadium authorities.
In between overs, bowlers were also given regular beverages on the outfield.
Since last week, the majority of northern India's states have been under government heatwave advisories; New Delhi, the country's capital, recorded 47.4 degrees Celsius.
In the T20 event, Starc struck with the opening ball of the encounter, bowling fellow Australian Travis Head for a second consecutive duck.
Hyderabad fell to 39-4 in five overs thanks to Starc's twin blows in his third over, which startled the opposition by sending back Shahbaz Ahmed and Nitish Kumar Reddy with consecutive balls.
Rahul Tripathi scored 55 points, and
In between overs, bowlers were also given regular beverages on the outfield.
In the T20 event, Starc struck with the opening ball of the encounter, bowling fellow Australian Travis Head for a second consecutive duck.
Hyderabad fell to 39-4 in five overs thanks to Starc's twin blows in his third over, which startled the opposition by sending back Shahbaz Ahmed and Nitish Kumar Reddy with consecutive balls.
Rahul Tripathi scored 55 points, and
After Tripathi was run out, wickets began to fall steadily until Cummins' 30-ball out of 24 balls increased the total.
In response, Sunil Narine hit 21 before being removed by Cummins, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave Kolkata a good start with his 23 off 14 balls.
In an undefeated partnership of 97 with Shreyas, Venkatesh, a left-hand batsman, carried the team home with a six to secure Kolkata's fourth IPL title.
On Wednesday, the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play an elimination match at the same location.
In response, Sunil Narine hit 21 before being removed by Cummins, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave Kolkata a good start with his 23 off 14 balls.
On Wednesday, the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play an elimination match at the same location.
