IPL 2024: Predicting 3 players who could pick up the most wickets in today's KKR vs SRH final
Today, for the first time in seven years, we have neither Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI) nor a new team competing in an IPL final. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) are two teams with history, considered sleeping giants among their massive fan bases.
Both are led by exceptional captains, one who has won it all for Australia and the other who is staking his claim for the Indian armband despite being out of contract. They have reached this stage by batting in the T20 way, and letting their versatile but stable bowling attacks do the job, however, it needs to be done.
Both teams have several match-winners who have stood up through the course of IPL 2024 and can do it again at the biggest stage. Below, we have listed the three bowlers who we think have the best chance to dictate the proceedings:
#3 Shahbaz Ahmed
It feels awkward to include a bowler with just six wickets from 15 games in IPL 2024 for this list. However, Shahbaz Ahmed has merit as three of those wickets came at Chepauk, the host for the final, against Rajasthan Royals on Friday.
He was simply superb and showed his skills on the turning track. He now boasts an average of 12.83 after five matches for various franchises.
Although Chepauk wasn't the usual hunting ground for spinners in the IPL 2024 group stage, the pitch for the final is the one CSK played against Punjab Kings (PBKS) which was immensely helpful to tweakers, especially Harpreet Brar.
The first of KKR's only three losses in IPL 2024 also came at Chepauk where another left-arm spinner, Ravindra Jadeja, ran through their middle order. Shahbaz can play a similar role by coming after the powerplay and if the ball turns, he'll be the one SRH bowler that KKR should avoid taking lightly at all.
#2 Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine had his toughest time in IPL 2024 against SRH in the first Qualifier as most of their batters didn't worry about his reputation and took the attack to him. However, the KKR veteran still managed to pick up a wicket in his last over, continuing his streak of snapping at least one victim in every game this season.
How do you exclude a bowler with that consistency? Although most SRH sides have historically done well against Narine, they are yet to come head-to-head at Chepauk - where the West Indian has eight wickets in seven games at an average of 22.75. If the ball turns, he'll have a good chance of getting the better of the likes of Travis Head, Aiden Markram, and Nitish Reddy in the middle overs.
Narine didn't have a great record in IPL finals at the start of his career with KKR. This year he has looked the closest to those peak years and this could be the game where he erases that blemish and truly stands out as KKR's G.O.A.T.
#1 Varun Chakaravarthy
KKR mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has inarguably been the best bowler of the second half of IPL 2024, taking 12 wickets in the last five matches. Bringing him back to his childhood city with a title on the line is an excellent narrative, one you can back him to come top of given the purchase he'll likely get from the pitch.
He has often done well against SRH; he has a five-match streak of wickets against them and has gone only two out of 10 games without picking up a wicket. In the first Qualifier too, KKR might have won with an even bigger margin had Shreyas Iyer not held him back until the second half of SRH's innings. And the spinner proved that by picking up Heinrich Klaasen's wicket in his first over.
SRH have momentum, some excellent bowlers, and a wonderful batting lineup too. But Chakavarthy's skills in all phases could be the perfect antidote for all of that.