Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a below-par total of 159 runs before being bowled out in 19.3 overs in the high-pressure Qualifier 1 match of IPL 2024 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Tuesday.
Opting to bat first, Sunrisers got off to a disastrous start, losing openers Travis Head (0) and Abhishek Sharma (0) cheaply to Mitchell Starc (1/24) and Vaibhav Arora (1/28) respectively. Rahul Tripathi (55 off 35 balls) tried to revive the innings with a brisk half-century but was run out after a misunderstanding with his partner.
Nitish Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed failed to capitalize on the opportunity, departing for single-digit scores. Heinrich Klaasen (32 off 21 balls) provided some late impetus with a cameo, while Abdul Samad (16 off 12 balls) struggled to find his timing. Pat Cummins (30 off 24 balls) briefly threatened with a quickfire knock towards the end, but Andre Russell (1/22) dismissed him to extinguish any hopes of a late flourish. Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (7* off 5 balls) remained unbeaten at the other end.
Kolkata Knight Riders' bowling attack displayed collective discipline, with Starc and Varun Chakaravarthy (1/20) leading the way. Sunil Narine (1/29), Andre Russell, and Harshit Rana (1/27) chipped in with crucial wickets, restricting Sunrisers to a modest total.
The Knight Riders now require 160 runs to win the Qualifier 1 and secure a direct berth in the IPL 2024 final.
