Who holds the record for the fastest 50 in the history of IPL finals?
Suresh Raina and David Warner jointly hold the record for the fastest half-century in Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) finals. Both the left-handers crossed the 50-run mark in 24 balls.
Playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Raina set the stage ablaze with an explosive knock in the summit clash of the 2010 edition against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy. The southpaw hit three sixes and as many fours, remaining unbeaten on 57 runs off 35 balls.
His knock helped his team register 168/5 in 20 overs. CSK secured a stunning 22-run victory in the clash to win their first-ever IPL title. Raina was adjudged the Player of the Match for his batting exploits.
Raina's record remained intact for five years before Warner matched it in the 2016 final between the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Warner, who was also the captain of SRH, hit a brilliant 24-ball fifty in the all-important encounter. The Australian opener finished with 69 runs off 38 deliveries, helping his team set an imposing 208-run total. Hyderabad clinched their maiden IPL trophy with a narrow eight-run win over Bengaluru.
KKR and SRH to battle it out against each other in IPL 2024 final
The ongoing IPL 2024 is set to end with a blockbuster clash between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, May 26.
The Shreyas Iyer-led KKR side were the table-toppers in the league stage, bagging 20 points from their 14 outings. They finished with nine wins, while two of their games were abandoned due to rain.
SRH, on the other hand, finished second in the standings, claiming 17 points from 14 fixtures. Pat Cummins and company had eight wins to their name, with one contest being washed out.
KKR and SRH faced each other in Qualifier 1, where Kolkata completed a comprehensive eight-wicket win to advance to the final. Mitchell Starc stole the show in the contest with a three-wicket haul.
Hyderabad bounced back with a 36-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator to book a berth in the final. Shahbaz Ahmed picked up three wickets and scored 18 runs in the knockout match.