Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) got off to a stunning start in the high-stakes IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on May 21. Opting to bowl first, KKR broke the back of SRH's batting by dismantling the dangerous opening partnership of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma within the powerplay. This impressive start is all the more remarkable considering the red-hot form of both Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. Head, who is in the mix of leading IPL run-scorers chart with 533 runs including a century and four fifties, was dismissed for a golden duck by Mitchell Starc in the very first over. Abhishek, equally destructive with over 460 runs at a staggering 209+ strike rate, followed soon after. The early breakthrough has put KKR firmly in control of the contest.
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Vaibhav Arora grabs prized wicket of Abhishek Sharma
The early dismissal of both SRH openers has left them reeling in Qualifier 1. Following Head's dismissal, Vaibhav Arora struck in the very next over, removing Sharma for just 3 runs. Credit for the dismissal goes not just to Arora, but also to Andre Russell who snagged a spectacular catch at cover. Sharma mistimed his off-side drive, offering Russell a chance he capitalized on with a perfectly timed jump.
WATCH ANDRE RUSSELL'S STUNNING CATCH
KKR's bowlers capitalised brilliantly, leaving SRH at a precarious 45/4 after the powerplay. Following the dismissal of the openers, Nitish Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed also fell cheaply, putting KKR firmly in control. The onus was now on on Rahul Tripathi and Heinrich Klaasen to rebuild the innings and salvage a respectable total for Hyderabad. Tripathi did steady SRH's boat with a blistering 55 off 35 before falling victim to a horrible run out. However, SRH ended up posting a competitive total of 159. While Mitchell Starc took the maximum wickets for KKR (3/34), Varun Chakaravarthy played the second fiddle with an impressive spell of 2/26.
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