Shreyas Iyer, the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders, imitated Lionel Messi’s famous celebration from the winning moment of the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Despite losing the toss, Kolkata delivered a remarkable performance with the ball, restricting Sunrisers Hyderabad to a mere 113 runs, the lowest ever total in an IPL title clash. Kolkata comfortably chased down the target of 114 with an astonishing 57 deliveries remaining.
The trio of Mitchell Starc (2/14), Andre Russell (3/19), and Harshit Rana (2/24) emerged as the most successful bowlers for the Knight Riders, leaving Hyderabad unable to rise to the occasion in this crucial match.
Choosing to bat first, Hyderabad had a disastrous start, losing key players Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head for a mere six runs on the scoreboard. Head, in particular, was dismissed for a first-ball duck by a beautiful outswinger.