After witnessing spectacularly thrilling showdowns, finally, Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 comes down to the final between two formidable teams Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, who are preparing to face off in the highly anticipated battle of the league, to be held on Sunday (26th May) at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Both teams are vying for the coveted title, having demolished their opponents in their previous encounters to set up the high-voltage clash. 

Kolkata Knight Riders have had a remarkable season, riding a wave of momentum with their astonishing victories over the past one month. Consistency in KKR’s performance, coupled with comfortable victories have kept their campaign on the track, brushing aside the likes of star-studded Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. 

It’s been a smooth ride for Riders, with their blistering batting attack playing a major role. KKR’s batting lineup, featuring power hitters Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz will be extremely important. 

Their bowling attack, led by ever reliable Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy will be equally important. KKR were the first team to seal their playoff spot after beating struggling Mumbai Indians. Talking about Mitchell Starc, he has had a challenging return to the IPL, but he repaid the faith by delivering a match-winning spell during KKR’s victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1 that took them to the final of the IPL 2024. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad have also had an inspiring run in the 2024 IPL season under the leadership of Pat Cummins, who continues to add feathers in his leadership cap. SRH overcame Rajasthan Royals in a thrilling showdown in the qualifier 2 to qualify into the final. SRH have all been about their batting blitz, having produced high-scoring games. 

Under the leadership of Cummins, SRH ended their Playoffs drought and would look to end their IPL title drought as well, having won it back in 2016. A lot will rely on Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who have been the run machine for SRH followed by Heinrich Klaasen playing electrifying knocks in the middle order. Their bowling attack sports the likes of T Natarajan, Shahbaz Ahmed and skipper Pat Cummins himself. KKR are looking forward to lifting their third IPL title, while SRH are eying their second IPL title. 

Head to Head

Matches - 27

KKR Won - 18

SRH Won - 9 

KKR Probable XI: Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy (Imp - Nitish Rana)

SRH Probable XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan (Imp -  Shahbaz Ahmed)