Mitchell Starc and the Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling attack were on fire before Shreyas Iyer ensured his side would get the job done at the end of a beautiful night in Ahmedabad.
After nearly eight weeks of incredible T20 cricket, it was crunch time in the Indian Premier League. The playoffs were upon us.
Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad, who sneaked into the top two with a final day win on Sunday, opted to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
The table-topping Knight Riders had no fear of the destructive force that the Hyderabad franchise brought with the bat. Instead, Iyer said he would have liked to bowl first anyway.
Starc got his side off to the best possible start, dismissing countryman and danger man Travis Head for a duck up front.
As his spell continued, he plucked two more wickets while his teammates supported him along the way to get the Sunrisers all out for just 159.
The chase was made easy as Shreyas and Venkatesh Iyer both got to milestone 50s after the openers departed. With more than six overs to spare, Kolkata had booked their spot in the final.
Hyderabad’s high finish means they will have a second crack at the final when they take on the winner of Wednesday’s eliminator in Friday’s second qualifier.
The battle of the Royals takes place in Ahmedabad on Wednesday with Rajasthan and Bengaluru both hoping to stay alive in the knockout stages.
Pictured above: Mitchell Starc.
Image source: @KKRiders
