Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) delivered a stellar performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024 at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday, leaving fans of the “team in purple” elated. Co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, along with his daughter Suhana Khan, younger son AbRam, and manager Pooja Dadlani, couldn’t contain their joy as they witnessed KKR secure a spot in the finals from the stands.
Joining them were KKR’s co-owners Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta, as well as Suhana’s close friends Ananya Panday, Shanaya Kapoor, Navya Nanda, and Agastya Nanda, all cheering enthusiastically for the team.
Post-match, SRK, Suhana, and AbRam delighted spectators with a lap around Narendra Modi Stadium, with SRK greeting the audience warmly and striking his iconic pose.
During these celebrations, SRK unintentionally interrupted JioCinema’s live broadcast of IPL 2024 Hindi show on the ground, where former India cricketers Suresh Raina, Aakash Chopra, and Parthiv Patel were conducting a post-match analysis. Apologizing profusely for the interruption, SRK exchanged warm hugs with them, with Aakash Chopra remarking, “He made our day. He is the showstopper.”
In the match itself, Sunrisers Hyderabad opted to bat first but struggled early, reaching 39/4 despite a brief recovery with Rahul Tripathi scoring 55 (35 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen adding 32 (21 balls). However, KKR’s bowlers, led by Mitchell Starc with figures of 3/34, maintained pressure, restricting SRH to 159 in 19.3 overs.
In response, KKR’s openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sunil Narine set a solid foundation, followed by aggressive batting from skipper Shreyas Iyer (58* off 24 balls) and Venkatesh Iyer (51* off 28 balls), sealing victory with eight wickets and 38 balls to spare.
With this win, KKR secured a direct berth in the final, while SRH will face the winner of the eliminator match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) for another shot at the title clash.
Mitchell Starc was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ for his impactful performance.
KKR will now prepare for their fourth IPL final appearance in Chennai on Sunday, awaiting the opponent from among RCB, SRH, and RR.
