IPL 2024 Final, KKR vs SRH: Decoding key player battles
What's the story
The grand finale of the 2024 Indian Premier League will see the battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
It will be a rematch of Qualifier 1 which saw KKR thrash the Orange Army by eight wickets.
However, Pat Cummins' men bounced back by defeating Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 and earning a place in the final.
Let's decode the key player battles.
#1
Sunil Narine vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
KKR all-rounder Sunil Narine has been a menace in the powerplay overs this year.
As per ESPNcricinfo, his strike rate in this phase has been 168.71. However, Narine has been troubled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the past.
The SRH pacer has dismissed the West Indies dasher twice across 10 IPL meetings. The latter's strike rate in this battle is 110.71.
#2
T Natarajan vs Andre Russell
Left-arm pacer T Natarajan has been handy for SRH with variations in the crunch overs.
Andre Russell, who boasts a jaw-dropping IPL strike rate of 185 this year, might face the Indian fast bowler in the final five overs.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Russell has smashed Natarajan for 43 runs off 26 balls in IPL while falling to him once across six meetings.
#4
Travis Head vs Mitchell Starc
KKR speedster Mitchell Starc dismissed Travis Head for a duck in the first Qualifier.
The former would want to a similar outcome in the upcoming game as Head now has two ducks in his last three outings.
However, his challenge won't be easy as Head scored the most powerplay runs in IPL 2024, 402 at a stunning strike rate of 209.37.
#3
Heinrich Klaasen vs Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakravarthy has been a formidable force this year as he is KKR's leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps.
The mystery spinner claimed 2/26 in four overs in the first Qualifier as the tally included the key wicket of Heinrich Klaasen.
The latter would want to settle the scores in the final.
Notably, Klaasen's strike rate against spin this season reads 189.47 (6 dismissals).
Details
Key details about the match
Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium will host the summit clash on May 26 (7:30pm IST).
The wickets here have a history of assisting spinners. Therefore, scoring in middle overs will be a challenge.
The Qualifier 2 on May 24 here saw SRH comprehensively defend 175 versus Rajasthan Royals.
One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream it on JioCinema.