IPL 2024: Top 10 Memes from KKR vs SRH, Qualifier 1

In the first Qualifier of IPL 2024, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) emerged victorious against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. SRH, batting first, posted a total of 159 runs. KKR chased down the target with ease, scoring 164/2 in just 13.4 overs, winning by eight wickets with 38 balls to spare.

SRH's innings began disastrously with Travis Head being bowled by Mitchell Starc for a duck. Abhishek Sharma fell shortly after followed by Nitish Kumar Reddy, leaving SRH struggling at 39/3. Rahul Tripathi provided some stability with a 35-ball 55, but wickets kept tumbling around him. Heinrich Klaasen contributed 32 off 21 balls, and captain Pat Cummins added a quick 30 off 24, but SRH could only manage 159 before being bowled out in 19.3 overs.

Starc was the standout bowler for KKR, taking three wickets for 34 runs. Varun Chakravarthy supported well with figures of 2/26. Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, and Andre Russell each chipped in with a wicket.

In reply, KKR lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz early for 23 off 14 balls, followed by Sunil Narine's 21 off 16. However, Venkatesh Iyer and captain Shreyas Iyer put on a spectacular display, ensuring there were no further hiccups. Venkatesh Iyer remained unbeaten on 51 off 28 balls, hitting five fours and four sixes. Shreyas Iyer was equally aggressive, scoring an unbeaten 58 off just 24 balls with five fours and four sixes, leading KKR to a comfortable win.

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For SRH, Pat Cummins and T Natarajan managed to pick a wicket each, but the rest of the bowling attack struggled to contain the onslaught from the KKR batters. This victory sends KKR into the finals, while SRH will need to regroup for their next opportunity in the playoffs.

After the game, Pat Cummins, SRH skipper, acknowledged the need to quickly move past their loss and focus on the second qualifier. He noted that in T20 cricket, some days do not go as planned, and they struggled both with the bat and the ball. Cummins praised KKR's bowling and mentioned that the pitch improved as the game progressed. He highlighted the decision to include extra batting on this wicket and expressed confidence that moving to a new venue in Chennai could benefit the team. 

"Yeah we will try to put this behind quickly, good thing we will have a crack at it (second qualifier). You have those days in T20 cricket where things don't quite work out. We weren't where we wanted with the bat and obviously couldn't do much with the ball. Felt that extra batting was important (picking the impact sub) on this wicket. Thought KKR bowled really well, there was a little bit in it early on and the surface got better. We all have played enough cricket, and going to a new venue (Chennai) helps us as well, so we gotta keep this behind and move on," he said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Here are the best memes from the clash: