IPL 2024 Final: Sunrisers Hyderabad Opt to Bat Against Kolkata Knight Riders

Chennai, May 26: In a thrilling culmination to the IPL 2024 season, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat first against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the title clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. This is the third time that an IPL final is being contested between the top two teams in the points table.

Head-to-Head in IPL 2024

Two-time champions KKR have dominated the 2016 winners SRH this season, defeating them twice – once in the league stage and again in Qualifier 1. The final is being played on a red-soil pitch, featuring 63m and 70m square boundaries, with a straight boundary at 77m. This is the same pitch where Punjab Kings triumphed over Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets on May 1.

Team Strategies and Line-Ups

After winning the toss, Cummins announced a key change in the SRH lineup: Shahbaz Ahmed replaces Abdul Samad. “Looks like a good wicket,” said Cummins. “Played on a different wicket the other night. There was no dew then, but if it does appear, it’s very damaging. We’ve done well defending scores, and we want to have a crack with the bat first.”

KKR captain Shreyas Iyer, who is leading his team in an IPL final for the second time, opted to keep an unchanged playing eleven from their Qualifier 1 win over SRH. KKR have remained unbeaten while chasing in the IPL 2024. “We’ll get a fair idea about how the pitch will play. It’s a red soil, similar to our last game. We need to stay present, stick to the basics, and execute our plans. It’s a big game, and though some players are nervous, it’s a great opportunity,” Iyer commented.

Playing XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders:

• Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper)
• Sunil Narine
• Venkatesh Iyer
• Shreyas Iyer (captain)
• Rinku Singh
• Andre Russell
• Ramandeep Singh
• Mitchell Starc
• Vaibhav Arora
• Harshit Rana
• Varun Chakaravarthy

Substitutes: Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, KS Bharat, Sherfane Rutherford

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

• Travis Head
• Abhishek Sharma
• Rahul Tripathi
• Aiden Markram
• Nitish Reddy
• Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper)
• Shahbaz Ahmed
• Pat Cummins (captain)
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar
• Jaydev Unadkat
• T Natarajan

Substitutes: Umran Malik, Glenn Phillips, Mayank Markande, Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar

Conclusion

As the excitement builds for the IPL 2024 final, both teams are set to deliver a thrilling contest. SRH will aim to capitalize on their decision to bat first, while KKR will look to maintain their unbeaten chasing record. Fans can expect a high-stakes battle at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium.