IPL 2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad Secure Final Spot with 36-Run Win Over Rajasthan Royals

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) punched their ticket to the IPL 2024 final with a convincing 36-run victory over Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Friday, May 24th at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

This win sets up a mouthwatering clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the championship game on Sunday.

Sunrisers Hyderabad‘s win was built on a fighting total of 175 for 9, despite losing early wickets. Openers struggled once again, but a crucial partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and the impactful substitute Shahbaz Ahmed (43 runs off 25 balls) steered the innings. Avesh Khan and Sandeep Sharma from RR kept things tight, restricting a late flourish from SRH.

Chasing 176, Rajasthan Royals faltered early, losing Tom Kohler-Cadmore cheaply. A brief fightback from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson (41 runs off 23 balls) was snuffed out by the SRH spin duo of Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhishek Sharma, who picked up five wickets between them.

The lack of dew and a drying pitch assisted the spinners, making life difficult for the RR batters. Dhruv Jurel’s valiant unbeaten knock of 56 runs off 35 balls offered some hope, but it wasn’t enough as Rajasthan fell short, ending at 139 for 7.

This victory marks SRH’s third appearance in an IPL final, and they will be aiming to add another title to their trophy cabinet on Sunday under the leadership of Par Cummins.