NEW DELHI: Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday pummelled Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in
Qualifier 1
to waltz into the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Ahmedabad.
An all-round KKR first rode on pacer Mitchell Starc's powerplay burst to rattle Hyderabad, who managed a below-par 159, and then produced a solid batting performance to enter their fourth IPL final.
Despite missing the services of explosive English opener Phil Salt, KKR made light work of the chase, racing to the finish line inside 14 overs.
And in the clinical chase of 159, keeper-batter
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
played his part to perfection with a quickfire 14-ball 23 at the top.
After the game, Gurbaz shared that his mother has been recovering in hospital back in Afghanistan but he returned to represent KKR after knowing that Salt wouldn't be available for the knockouts.
"My mother is still recovering in the hospital, I speak to her every day. But I knew my KKR family needed me here once Phil Salt left. So I came back from Afghanistan, and I'm happy to be here. My mother is happy for me too," Gurbaz said in the media interaction after the game.
Salt along with other England players earlier returned home to play a 4-match T20I series against Pakistan to prepare for the T20 World Cup starting next month in the Americas.
With Salt playing throughout the league phase, Gurbaz, this season played his first game on Tuesday.
Along with scoring 23 runs, Gurbaz also grabbed a couple of catches in KKR's clinical win in Qualifier 1.
The win gave KKR a direct entry to the
IPL 2024
final on May 26.
English (US) ·