New Delhi. Kolkata Knight Riders has become the first team to reach the final of the Indian Premier League 2024. Shreyas Iyer’s team won in a one-sided match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Kolkata achieved the target of 160 runs in just 13.4 overs and registered victory by losing 2 wickets. KKR’s batsman, who came to open in this match, told after the match that he had come to play after leaving his mother in the hospital.
The match played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad was one-sided. After winning the toss and batting first, Pat Cummins’ team failed to score big. Kolkata’s experienced Mitchell Starc came in early and broke the back of the batting by taking three wickets. Rahul Tripathi and Enrique Klaasen pulled the team out of trouble. Captain Pat Cummins finally played a quick innings of 30 runs and took the score to 159 runs. Kolkata achieved the target with an easy win in 13.4 overs thanks to the stormy half-century innings of captain Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer.
This season, Phil Salt along with Sunil Narine made a strong start for Kolkata. This England player has returned and in his place Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan was fielded in the opening. This batsman added 44 runs for the first wicket against Hyderabad. Gurbaz returned after scoring 23 runs on 14 balls. After KKR reached the final, he told a heart-wrenching thing that he left his mother in the hospital and left for Afghanistan.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who came to open for KKR against Hyderabad, said after the match, even at this time my mother is admitted in the hospital. I call and talk to him every day. Even after his mother was in the hospital, he decided to come to India from Afghanistan to play IPL. I was aware that the Kolkata team would need me after Phil Salt returned from the IPL. I wanted to be present at the time of the team’s need, that is why I took the difficult decision of leaving my mother and coming to India from Afghanistan. I am happy here. My mother is also happy for me.
FIRST PUBLISHED: May 22, 2024, 08:44 IST