SRH advance to IPL 2024 final with thumping win over RR in Qualifier 2
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) booked their place in the IPL 2024 final with a convincing 36-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Chennai on May 24. After losing the toss and batting first, they posted a competitive total of 175/9 in 20 overs.
Heinrich Klaasen top scored with a well-compiled 34-ball 50, while Travis Head and Rahul Tripathi smashed brisk 30s to kickstart proceedings. With the ball, the lesser renowned SRH spinners took over, with Shahbaz Ahmed picking up 3/23 and Abhishek Sharma finishing with 2/24. The duo stifled the RR batters to submission and helped SRH comfortably win by 36 runs.
Pat Cummins' outfit will now take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) juggernaut in the summit clash at the same venue on Sunday, May 26. The two teams met in Qualifier 1, with KKR winning by eight wickets in the 14th over.
However, reaching the final is in itself a tremendous achievement for SRH after a last-place finish last season. Meanwhile, KKR have won their last five completed games and also emerged victorious in the league-stage outing against SRH.
"There's a great vibe in the squad as you can see" - Pat Cummins on SRH qualifying for the final
SRH skipper Pat Cummins was delighted with the vibe in the side throughout the season. He touched upon it after they advanced to the IPL 2024 grand finale with a dominant win over RR in Qualifier 2.
The franchise acquired Cummins at the Mini Auction last year as the second most expensive buy in IPL history at ₹ 20.50 crore. He was subsequently made captain, replacing Aiden Markram at the helm.
At the post-match presentation after SRH's victory against RR, Cummins said:
"The boys have been fantastic all season. There's a great vibe in the squad as you can see and the final was the goal at the start of the season and we made it.
"We knew our strength was our batting and we wouldn't underestimate the experience we have in this squad, it's a dream having Bhuvi, Nattu and Unadkat, makes my job easy. It is for the whole franchise, probably 60 or 70 of them who put their heart and soul into this and hopefully one more left."
SRH last qualified for the final in 2018, where they lost to five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The Orange Army won their lone IPL title in 2016 under David Warner, defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the summit clash.