Qualifier 2, KKR vs SRH: 4 Unnoticed things from the game
Sunrisers Hyderabad cruised to a 13-run win against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, to rightfully enter the IPL 2018 Final versus Chennai Super Kings.
Both the teams playing tonight merited the chance of participating in the IPL 2018 Final in contrasting ways. Sunrisers Hyderabad, by virtue of claiming the top spot in the points table, had another bite of the cherry while Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator to move one step closer to the IPL Final.
Tonight, at the iconic Eden Gardens, home Captain Dinesh Karthik guessed the correct landing side of the coin and elected to field first. SRH enjoyed a wicketless powerplay but lost quick wickets after that. Shakib’s resilience and Rashid’s hurricane 34*(10) took Hyderabad to 174/7.
The Kolkatan chase began on the right note as Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn commenced firing from both the ends. The onslaught mellowed away with the arrival of Rashid Khan into the bowling attack. By the end, the task became impossible for the young Shubman Gill and the tail-ender Piyush Chawla.
Kolkata lost the match by 13 runs and the win has propelled Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2018 Final. They will once again confront Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on 27th May.
Here are four things that may have gone unnoticed from this Qualifier:
#1 Contrasting team streaks
Sunrisers Hyderabad ended the league stage at number one. They had nine wins from their Fourteen matches and with 18 points comfortably ruled the first stage.
However, it is important to note that at one stage, Sunrisers Hyderabad had won nine matches from their 11 matches. They subsequently lost three consecutive matches against CSK, RCB, and KKR and remained at nine wins. SRH lost their first Qualifier against CSK and endured a four-match losing streak.
In complete contrast to the Orange army, Kolkata Knight Riders established an imposing four-match winning ride. After succumbing to a crushing defeat of 102-runs against Mumbai, Kolkata bounced back and won against Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad and twice versus Rajasthan Royals.
Hyderabad’s victory tonight ends the streaks of both the teams and sends SRH in the final against Chennai which has dominated them in previous three encounters.