Kolkata Knight Riders clinched its third Indian Premier League title after it dismantled the batting powerhouse of Sunrisers Hyderabad for under 113 runs and went on to win the ultimate by eight wickets with 57 balls remaining on Sunday.
Mitchell Starc rattled Hyderabad’s top-order with 2-14 and all six Kolkata bowlers took wickets earlier than probably the most aggressive batting crew this season was bowled out for the bottom ever whole within the historical past of IPL finals in simply 18.3 overs.
Pat Cummins top-scored for the Sunrisers with a battling 24 from 19 balls, nevertheless it was not sufficient.
Venkatesh Iyer then led Kolkata to 114-2 in 10.3 overs with a blazing 26-ball unbeaten 52 with Rahmanullah Gurbaz scoring 39 in 32.
“It was complete [victory],” stated Kolkata captain Shreyas Iyer, who additionally performed in an IPL last for Delhi Capitals in 2020 when his crew misplaced to Mumbai Indians.
“That is what we demanded from the gamers they usually stood up. It is troublesome to precise the sentiments, a lot to cherish proper now. There was nobody particular person who took us right here, it was a cumulative effort, it was a flawless season for us.”
Kolkata beforehand received the IPL titles in 2012 and 2014 and had dominated this season by ending on high on the finish of league stage with 9 wins from 14 video games.
It even dominated probably the most aggressive Hyderabad aspect by successful each within the league stage and likewise within the qualifier the place Starc had stood out earlier than routing Cummins’s crew in a one-sided last.
Cummins had received the toss and selected to bat first, however his crew obtained deflated inside the primary seven overs as they limped to 47-4 in opposition to an impeccable assault of Starc, Harshit Rana (2-24) and Vaibhav Arora (1-24).
Starc began the rout when he clear bowled Abhishek Sharma with a ball that swung away from the left-hander and knocked again the off stump.
Travis Head, who had typically scored fast runs for Hyderabad this season, edged Arora’s first ball and went for a golden duck. At 6-2 in two overs, Hyderabad struggled to get well from that double loss.
Starc’s three-over spell within the energy play gave Kolkata one other wicket when Rahul Tripathi top-edged the Australian left-arm fast.
There was no power-hitting from the South African pair of Aiden Markram, who made a struggling 20 off 23 balls, and Heinrich Klaasen (16 in 17) as Kolkata saved choosing up wickets at common intervals.
Markram’s weak pull shot in opposition to Andre Russell landed within the lap of Starc at long-on and Klaasen departed within the fifteenth over when he dragged Rana’s good off-cutter again onto his stumps.
Russell then mopped up the decrease order with 3-19 and Hyderabad was in peril of not making 100 earlier than Cummins hit 24 off 19 balls and was the final man dismissed within the penultimate over.
“Russell has obtained a magic wand and he’s trying in direction of me to bowl,” Shreyas Iyer stated.
“Within the majority of the video games he gave us breakthroughs.”
Kolkata misplaced Sunil Narine early within the chase earlier than Venkatesh Iyer, who smashed three sixes and 4 boundaries, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz successfully sealed the sport with some aggressive hitting in a 91-run stand.
It was heartbreak for Hyderabad, which had toppled IPL batting data all through the season and scored over 265 thrice in the course of the league stage the place it completed second behind Kolkata.
Nonetheless, it obtained bowled out for its lowest whole of the season at a venue the place Kolkata, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, had blissful recollections of successful its first IPL title in 2012.
“We have been outplayed,” Cummins stated.
“They did not give us something … they bowled fantastically. It was a difficult wicket [and] did not really feel like a 200-plus wicket, 160 would have given us an opportunity.”
