The Sunrisers Hyderabad batting had been of the highest quality this season. However, on the night of the final, the Kolkata Knight Riders were just too good for them. With all of KKR’s bowlers contributing to the wickets tally, it was like a pride of lions on the hunt.
The big Aussie quick, Mitchell Starc, has proved time and again that he truly is a big-match player, delivering a splendid performance of 2 for 14 and setting the tone for KKR with the new ball. Harshit Rana has been a revelation for the franchise as well, with his ability to mix it up with his variations while also cranking up the pace when needed. Rana was spectacular, grabbing two crucial wickets for his team. Andre Russell delivered the final punch with the ball, picking up three wickets that dented SRH’s chances significantly.
The captain of SRH, Pat Cummins, went on to mention, “Yes, defending 113 was never going to be easy, which made it very difficult for us, but the credit has to go to KKR, who bowled really well and put us under pressure.”
Reflecting on his experience of leading the side and bouncing back from last season, Cummins stated, “It has been amazing. There are a lot of players who I have not worked with before, and it was also great to work with some of the more experienced players like Bhuvi (Bhuvaneshwar Kumar). Overall, it was a really great squad, and the support staff has been amazing. Well, it has been a top two months.”
The SRH team has been supported by massive crowds wherever they have played, and the captain was grateful for the support in his closing comments stating, “The crowd has been just amazing, and in my opinion, it is only going to get bigger and better in the years to come, so I am looking forward to it.” Even though SRH fell short on the given day, they will look to come back stronger and better in 2025.