Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat on what he thought was a ‘high-scoring pitch’, but the decision backfired
Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowlers — led by Mitchell Starc — took control from the get-go
Starc was on a roll as he claimed three wickets in the powerplay to ensure the Sunrisers did not get off to a fiery start
Starc justified his price tag by knocking over Travis Head for another duck on the second ball of the innings, putting KKR in command
Tripathi went on to score his second fifty of the season (55, 35b) and rebuild the Sunrisers’ innings before a needless run-out ended his day and dashed the team’s hopes of scoring a big total.
A relentless Starc claimed two crucial wickets of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed in two balls. SRH reeled at 39 for 4 after five overs.
After losing four quick wickets, Sunrisers looked in disarray before Tripathi dropped anchor and hit a few big shots en route to the team’s total of 159
At one stage, breaching the 120-run mark looked difficult for SRH, however, it got some momentum in the ninth over when Sunil Narine leaked 18 runs
Varun Chakravarthy struck in his first over to send the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen packing for 32 off 21 deliveries
SRH skipper Cummins’ 30-run cameo off 24-ball guided the team to breach the 150-run mark
Opening the innings for the first time in the season, Rahmanullah Gurbaz looked at ease as he forged 44 runs with the seasoned Sunil Narine in just three overs
T Natarajan and Pat Cummins removed the openers. However, there was no turbulence for KKR thereafter
Making the most of a couple of reprieves, the Iyers - Venkatesh and Shreyas - stitched an unbeaten 97-run partnership for the third wicket in just 44 balls
Shreyas sealed the deal with six overs to spare by picking up 22 runs off Head’s final over, courtesy three sixes and a four
Both teams will now travel to Chennai with a different frame of mind
SRH, hoping to bounce back in the second qualifier
and KKR with a dream to lift the trophy after a decade!