Although KKR outperformed SRH in the grand final, skipper Pat Cummins expressed pride in his team’s valiant efforts over the incredible IPL 2024.
Cummins helped SRH overcome the mediocrity, boredom, and bad home performances that characterized their previous two or three seasons. Following victories in the ICC World Test Championship, ICC Cricket World Cup, and Ashes series against Australia, Cummins led Hyderabad to a top-two finish and eventually a farewell game.
It is noteworthy that Hyderabad scored the lowest-ever total in an IPL final, being knocked out for a pitiful 113 runs in just 18.3 overs. Then, in just 10.3 overs, Venkatesh Iyer helped KKR finish the chase, setting a record for the fastest IPL final ever with an undefeated 52 off 26 balls that included four boundaries and three sixes.
“They bowled really well, in my opinion. Luckily, it was switched back on by old friend Starcy. Yes, it’s clear that tonight’s effort fell short. Completely surpassed in skill. They bowled incredibly effectively and gave us nothing, despite your hopes of hitting a few boundaries early on and getting into the game. They bowled incredibly well; it was similar last weekend in Ahmedabad. Cummins acknowledged the difficulty presented by KKR’s bowlers and stated, “So, yeah, full credit to them.”
Cummins thought that the wicket was tricky, which made it difficult to score a lot of points, when he looked back on the game. It was a somewhat challenging wicket. We might have felt like we were in the game if we had been able to reach 160. A 200-run wicket didn’t feel like it. So once more, we came up fairly short, but we might have had a chance if we had managed to find a few more runs,” he said.
Although SRH lost, Cummins was pleased with the team’s overall season performance. “We scored three times for 250 runs thanks to an excellent batting performance. It was an amazing season. I admired the lads’ bravery under stressful circumstances like the Indian Premier League. They simply started a fearless brand of cricket. Thinking back on the team’s aggressive strategy, he said, “It was a lot of fun.”
