WOW KOLKATA! STARC CONTRAST IN HAPPY TIDINGS

Thanks to clinical bowling show against SRH at Chepauk in final, KKR clinch 3rd IPL title GOMESH S @ Chennai SUNDAY afternoon in Chennai brought with it a strange feeling.

-  ASHOK VENUGOPAL

It was hot, as always. But the extreme humidity made one feel like there would be some showers in the evening, affecting the 2024 Indian Premier League final. With the local team-Chennai Super Kings-not featuring in the summit clash, the buzz for the Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad contest was not the same.

However, it all had changed by the time Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat against the team that hadn't lost while chasing in 2024. There was a clear fan favourite in the stands - the Kolkata. It was all setting up for the perfect finale. A team that had completely bought into the idea that their batters are key to win games against a side that perhaps had the best combination across the playing XI. Hyderabad's method of asking both openers to take on the powerplay was not foolproof. They knew it.

But as Cummins admitted several times in the last two months, it gave them better odds at winning the match.