Sunrisers Hyderabad (175/9) defeated Rajasthan Royals (139/7) in Qualifier 2 of the IPL 2024 at Chepauk to set up a grand finale clash against Kolkata Knight Riders. On a slow Chennai surface, Sunrisers Hyderabad batted first and posted 176 runs thanks to Heinrich Klaasen’s (50/34) spirited innings. In the chase, Rajasthan Royals fell victim to the spin twins of Abhishek Sharma (2/24) and Shahbaz Ahmed (3/23), ultimately falling short of a good 36 runs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad started off well after losing the toss, but lost three wickets during the powerplay despite scoring 68 runs. While Heinrich Klaasen tried to stabilize the innings in the middle overs, wickets kept falling at the other end. However, Hyderabad managed to reach 175 runs after some late blitzes.
As the chase began, Yashasvi Jaiswal (42/21) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (10/16) struggled to get going during the powerplay as Pat Cummins (1/30) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/33) gave them a tough time. After losing the first wicket, Jaiswal took on the bowlers and ended powerplay with 50 runs for one wicket. After the powerplay, Sunrisers Hyderabad choked Rajasthan’s runs. 
Abhishek Sharma took the wicket of Sanju Samson (6/10) in the 9th over and since then the first-ever IPL champions didn’t recover.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have now entered their third IPL final in history and will be looking to add a second trophy to their cabinet. In their last encounter, Kolkata Knight Riders cruised past them, but Chepauk’s wicket will make this final exciting.
There were many action-packed moments in qualifier 2 and here are five which defined the outcome.
Rahul Tripathi’s early hitup
After losing Abhishek Sharma (12/5) in the first over, Sunrisers Hyderabad started having flashbacks to their game against Kolkata. While Hyderabad could have played safe and solidified the situation, Rahul Tripathi (37/15) perfectly led the counterattack. Rahul played a short innings of 37 runs, but his short blitz made Travis Head (34/28) set his eyes and Hyderabad’s powerplay did not have a run-rate problem.
Klaasen’s class
In the middle overs, Sunrisers Hyderabad lost the plot with quick wickets that made Heinrich Klaasen’s life difficult. In the IPL so far, he has been extremely aggressive, but against Rajasthan Royals, he chose to play a more mature role. In the 14th over, when Avesh Khan (3/28) dismissed Nitish Reddy (5/10) and Abdul Samad (0/1) on consecutive balls, Klaasen held the end for Hyderabad. His score of 50 runs off 34 balls is one of his slowest innings, but arguably his most effective of this IPL.
Cummins’s magic
Pat Cummins led from the front for Hyderabad in the powerplay. Although the Rajasthan Royals’ openers came up with their usual aggressive plan, Cummins did not let them break free. Despite bowling two overs, he only conceded 10 runs, including the wicket of Tom Kohler-Cadmore. This spell was more than a wicket. It was a statement of intent that Hyderabad will give everything they have in this game.
Cummins’s masterstroke through Shahbaz
A left-handed slow spinner bowling to a left-handed batsman has never been a common strategy in modern cricket. Also in this IPL, captains hesitated to take risks with left arm spinners against lefties, but Cummins broke the stereotype. Shahbaz Ahmed was brought in against Yashasvi Jaiswal by Sunrisers Hyderabad’s captain, and the gamble paid off. Jaiswal was playing at a strike rate of more than 200 when Shahbaz dismissed him. In the game, this wicket was a turning point.
Shahbaz’s knockout punch
In middle overs, Rajasthan Royals’ batsmen looked clueless against Shahbaz and Abhishek, paving the way for Sunrisers’ win. Shahbaz’s dream over in the 12th over all but sealed Hyderabad’s victory. In the first ball he took the wicket of the crucial Riyan Parag (6/10) and in the fourth ball he took the wicket of Ravi Ashwin (0/3) to turn the game one-sided. Afterwards, Rajasthan’s finishers Rovman Powell (6/12) and Shimron Hetmyer (4/10) were exposed by spinners, and Hyderabad won easily.
Rajasthan Royals will regret bowling first after wicket, but luck also didn’t favor them as dew didn’t fall in the second innings. In their first nine games, the Royals won eight games, but lost the plot in the end. Jos Buttler was also unavailable, which hurt their chances. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad should be satisfied with how things have unfolded over the last few weeks. Chepauk’s wicket suited Hyderabad’s bowling well, and if it repeats, they may bring home a second trophy. Parimatch odds for them for the final are 1.95x.
