Kolkata Knight Riders is gunning for its third Indian Premier League title as it takes on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 final at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
After winning nine games, losing three and two rain-inflicted abandoned games, KKR finished with 20 points in 14 matches to lead the points table after the end of the league stage.
Then the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata went on to thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1, beating the Pat Cummins’ side by eight wickets, chasing down 160 in just 13.4 overs to become the first team to reach the IPL 2024 final.
The Knight Riders are the third most successful side after Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, having won the IPL title twice in 2012 and 2014.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME KKR WON IPL TITLE?
Manish Pandey’s 94 against KXIP led KKR to its second IPL title. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K/The Hindu
In 2014, the Gautam Gambhir-led KKR clinched its second trophy after beating the George Bailey-led Kings XI Punjab, in the final at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
After being put in to bat, Kings, riding on Wriddhiman Saha’s swashbuckling century (115 off 55) posted a challenging total of 199/4 in 20 overs.
Chasing 200, the Knight Riders lost their in-form opener, Robin Uthappa in the first over itself. However, Manish Pandey stood tall from the other end and added valuable runs with Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan for the second and third wicket respectively, taking KKR into striking distance.
Karanveer Singh brought KXIP back in the hunt with four wickets. He removed Gambhir, Pathan, Ryan ten Doeschate and dangerous Pandey on 94 to pull things out from KKR.
The winning runs came from Piyush Chawla. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K/The Hindu
It was Piyush Chawla, who eventually took KKR past the winning line with a boundary in the last over.
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