The grand stage is set for the grand final match of IPL 2024 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 26.
Ahead of the summit clash between the top two teams this season, former Indian batsman and cricket analyst Aakash Chopra shared his thoughts on the final showdown in Chennai. Chopra predicted an entertaining encounter between KKR and SRH, with both teams fighting hard for the coveted trophy.
Don’t be surprised if SRH lifts the trophy: Aakash Chopra
The commentator further warned KKR not to underestimate SRH and highlighted their potential to clinch the IPL trophy in Chennai on Sunday. He highlighted that people should not be surprised if SRH wins the final against KKR.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “It’s going to be a good game. I feel that this meeting will be extremely pleasant. Hyderabad will not go down without a fight. Don’t be surprised if they lift the trophy. That is also possible. It is the third final for both teams (the fourth for KKR). KKR lifted the trophy on this very ground in 2012 after beating Chennai.”
Elaborating on his analysis, Chopra named Abhishek Sharma as a key player for SRH in their batting line-up for the title clash against KKR, considering his recent form in IPL 2024 despite minor setbacks in the previous matches, scoring 3 in Qualifier 1 and 12th in Qualifier 2.
He also highlighted Heinrich Klaasen as his second player to watch in the SRH team, given his consistent performance this season, especially in the IPL 2024 playoffs.
Heinrich Klaasen and Abhishek Sharma will shine with the bat against KKR: Aakash Chopra
Chopra said, “Abhishek Sharma got too greedy in the last match and quit because of that. However, he bowled and it is possible that in this match he will also have to bowl.” Speaking about Klaasen, the commentator said: “In the first qualifying match and also in the third match of the season, the runs they came from the bat of Heinrich Klaasen against this team. He doesn’t mind spin much and he plays differently.”
Talking about SRH’s bowling attack, Chopra described SRH captain Pat Cummins as “absolutely armed” and felt that KKR should be wary of the Australian pacer. He also mentioned Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan as key bowlers to watch out for in the title clash in Chennai.
Additionally, Chopra praised Rahul Tripathi for his impactful contributions with the bat, despite his extremely high-risk batting this season. Notably, Nataraja is SRH’s leading wicket-taker with 19 scalps this season so far, followed by Cummins (17) and Bhuvneshwar (11).
In particular, KKR have a great record against SRH, winning 18 games of their 27 meetings, with Hyderabad winning nine games so far.