The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cruised to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title on Sunday, defeating the Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Hyderabad, batting first, posted the lowest total in IPL final history, mustering just 113 runs in their 20 overs. KKR bowlers dominated the innings, with Andre Russell claiming three wickets and Mitchell Starc and Harshit Rana taking two each.
KKR Dismantle SRH Batting
Opting to bat, Hyderabad openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma struggled to find momentum. Starc dismissed Sharma in the first over, and Head followed suit in the next, bowled by Vaibhav Arora.
The middle order crumbled, with SRH slumping to 71-6 by the 11.5-over mark. Pat Cummins, Hyderabad's captain, top-scored, but the team lacked partnerships. Varun Chakaravarthy and Arora also chipped in with wickets, restricting Hyderabad to their lowest-ever IPL total.
Iyer, Gurbaz Power KKR to Victory
In reply, KKR openers displayed aggressive intent, but Sunil Narine fell cheaply. However, a 91-run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz steered KKR towards victory.
Gurbaz smashed a 31-ball 39, while Iyer anchored the chase with a fiery half-century. KKR chased down the target in just 11 overs, securing their third IPL title.
