KKR won the third trophy with best bowling performance
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) produced a clinical performance in the IPL final, defeating the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
After winning the toss, SRH elected to bat first but struggled throughout their innings, managing a paltry 113 runs—the lowest score ever recorded in an IPL final.
This dismal total broke the previous record for the lowest score in an IPL final, set by the Chennai Super Kings, who scored 125/9 in the 2013 final against the Mumbai Indians.
From the outset, SRH’s batsmen were unable to find their rhythm and clearly looked off track.
KKR’s chase was painless, as they cruised to 75/1 in the powerplay, effectively putting the match beyond SRH’s reach. Despite Sunil Narine’s early dismissal, Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz batted aggressively. Their powerful hitting overwhelmed the SRH bowlers, enabling KKR to reach the target in just 10.3 overs and secure a decisive victory.
Right, this was how the finale panned out. Both teams got what they wanted at the toss. Starc and Vaibhav nipped out the SRH openers cheaply just like Qualifier 1. The Aussie pacer was almost impeccable in the powerplay. Nitish Reddy got outfoxed by Harshit Rana and Russell separated the South African pair. Varun Chakaravarthy removed Shahbaz and Abdul Samad failed to make an impact.
Harshit’s slower ball got the better of Klaasen and he bowled a wicket-maiden. Narine was at his miserly best – 4-0-16-1. SRH got skittled out for 113 – lowest total in an IPL final – after opting to bat. In reply, Gurbaz got going with a boundary. Narine fell after smashing a six. Venkatesh Iyer came out all guns blazing – 4 6 6 vs Bhuvi and then 4 4 6 4 vs Natarajan.
Highest powerplay score in an IPL final – 72/1. Venky smashed a 24-ball half-century and hit the winning runs as Kolkata cruised to a 8-wicket win with 57 balls to spare. Plenty of sideline interviews coming your way before the presentations..
