In a nail-biting encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) emerged victorious by four runs, thanks to a brilliant final over bowled by young pacer Harshit Rana. KKR captain Shreyas Iyer revealed that he had full faith in Rana’s abilities, despite the pressure situation.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Heinrich Klaasen had mounted a stunning assault, bringing his team back from the brink of defeat. Needing 13 runs off the final over, SRH seemed to have the upper hand. However, Rana held his nerve and executed his plan perfectly, dismissing Shahbaz Ahmed and Klaasen to seal the win for KKR.
Speaking after the match, Shreyas Iyer praised Rana’s composure, saying, “Right from the 17th over I had butterflies in my stomach. And to be honest, in the last over I thought anything can happen… But I had that belief in him. I knew that something would happen.”
Earlier in the match, Andre Russell played a crucial role for KKR, smashing an unbeaten 64 off just 25 balls and picking up two wickets with the ball. Sunil Narine was also instrumental, finishing with impressive figures of 1/19 off his four overs.
Despite a shaky start, KKR’s Phil Salt and Ramandeep Singh provided valuable contributions, with Ramandeep’s quickfire 35 turning the tide in KKR’s favor. SRH head coach Daniel Vettori praised Ramandeep’s innings, saying, “When you look at good T20 players, irrespective of the situation they are able to put pressure straight back on the bowling team and that’s what he was able to do.”
The match also highlighted SRH’s overseas conundrum, with the team opting for a 2-2 split between batting and bowling departments. Vettori admitted that it was a difficult decision to leave out quality players like Travis Head and Glenn Phillips.
Overall, the match was a thrilling start to the IPL 2024 season, showcasing the talent and resilience of both teams.
