Harshit Rana representing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) delivered a knockout blow to SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by ousting their danger player Heinrich Klaasen in the IPL 2024 final that took place in Chennai on May 26. After securing the toss and opting to bat first SRH found themselves immediately on the back foot due to the aggressive pace attack initiated by the KKR bowlers.
Coming in at 47/4, Heinrich Klaasen attempted to steady the ship despite losing wickets around him, advancing to a run-a-ball 16 with a single boundary. However, he attempted a drive off Rana’s slower delivery outside off-stump, only to drag it back onto his stumps.
The South African’s dismissal reduced SRH to 90/8 in the 15th over, much to Harshit Rana’s and the other KKR players’ pleasure.
Here’s a video of Rana foxing Klaasen using a fantastic slower delivery:
Klaasens lightningfast 50 off 34 balls against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 at the same venue catapulted SRH into the grand finale.
Despite his defeat in the summit clash the 32yearold concluded his IPL 2024 campaign with 479 runs in 16 games averaging close to 40 and boasting a striking rate of 171.07.
Meanwhile, Harshit Rana has been KKR’s best find this season, with the Klaasen wicket being his 19th.
Harshit Rana and KKR Dismantle SRH for Lowest-Ever Score in IPL Final
KKR maintained their red-hot form with another stunning performance with the ball, knocking SRH out for a pathetic score of 113 in the 19th over. Mitchell Starc got the ball going again with a peach to remove Abhishek Sharma in the opening over.
His opening partner, Vaibhav Arora, was not to be outdone, bowling Travis Head for a golden duck in the next over. Starc proceeded to destroy SRH, removing Rahul Tripathi in his third over, leaving them at 21/3.
Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy quickly joined the celebration, concluding with scores of 2/24 and 1/9. However, West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell stole the show in the second half of the innings, ending with remarkable numbers of 3/19.
It meant that SRH had the lowest-ever total in an IPL final, surpassing CSK’s 125/9 from 2013. Pat Cummins, batting at No. 9, was SRH’s top scorer with a 19-ball 24 and the last player removed.
If Kolkata Knight Riders manage to successfully hunt down the rather simple target of 114 runs it would symbolize the end of an exceptional season. Having dominated the points table with 20 points from 14 matches they would secure their third IPL championship title.
