Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Qualifier 1 - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

That brings an end to our first playoff game of IPL 2024. Proved to be a one-sided affair in the end, but KKR fans won't mind it. They move one step closer to lifting that trophy. Been 10 long years since the Knights last won that title. It's not the end of SRH's journey though as they will face the winner of tomorrow's game in Qualifier 2. Expecting the Eliminator (RR v RCB) game to be much more exciting than tonight's clash. RCB have been on a roll and have won six games on the trot. Will they make it 7 in a row against Rajasthan Royals? We shall find out tomorrow. For now, it's goodbye from Nikhil, Raju, Abhinav and Siva. Peace out!

Mitchell Starc | Player of the Match: We know how important the powerplay is. These were the two sides who have dominated in the powerplay with the bat. We needed to pick early wickets and get into their middle-order. The way Head and Abhishek have been playing thoughout the tournament, they like width and free their arms. We just tried to swing the ball and not provide them width. Bowl stump to stump and tried the hard length. The spinners were effective and the whole bowling department was great. Got lucky I guess (on taking Head's wicket), was nice to see his back early, not always the case. We have been playing against each other in recent times. They (Arora and Harshit) are exciting to watch and are talented, they are skillful. It's good to see how hard they train. Harshit has been phenomenal this year. Our bowling attack has been great, it's hard to single anyone out. As an older and overseas player, it's good to see. No doubt they'll take many wickets in the IPL and for India as well.

Shreyas Iyer | KKR skipper: Elated by the performance, the responsibility was important, we stood up for each other, extremely happy with the performances. The rejuvenation was important for us. When you travel so much. It's important to stay in the present. Today was the day we had to maximise, we did it and that's what we thrive on. I think the way every bowler stood up to this occasion, the way they came in and took wickets, that was imperative. The attitude and approach of all bowlers was to take wickets and they did. When you have a variety in the bowling line-up, it's mesmerising. They have been true in terms of their work ethics, hopefully we keep performing. It was Gurbaz's first game and he gave an impactful start. We had to make sure we carry forward the same run rate. I don't know tamil, but I understand. Venky speaks in tamil, I reply in hindi (talking about the communication between him and Venkatesh Iyer). We need to be in our zone in the final and make sure we give our best.

DYK: Since 2018, the team that won Qualifier 1 went onto win the IPL trophy every single time.

Most 50-plus scores as a captain in playoffs
2 - MS Dhoni
2 - Rohit Sharma
2 - David Warner
2 - Shreyas Iyer*

Most appearances in the IPL final
10 - CSK
6 - MI
4 - KKR*
3 - RCB

Highest partnership for KKR in playoffs
136 - M Bisla & J Kallis vs CSK, Chennai, 2012
97* - Shreyas Iyer & V Iyer vs SRH, Ahmedabad, 2024*
96 - Shubman Gill & V Iyer vs DC, Sharjah, 2021

Venkatesh Iyer's scores in playoffs
26 (30) vs RCB, Sharjah, 2021
55 (41) vs DC, Sharjah, 2021
50 (32) vs CSK, Dubai, 2021
51* (28) vs SRH, Ahmedabad, 2024*

Winning with the most balls to spare in IPL (160+ targets)
62 - SRH vs LSG, Hyderabad, 2024 (Target: 166)
38 - KKR vs SRH, Ahmedabad, 2024 (Target: 160)
34 - KKR vs SRH, Kolkata, 2014 (Target: 161)
32 - MI vs RR, Wankhede, 2014 (Target: 190)

Venkatesh Iyer: More than the confidence I was really wanting to go out and bat, we last played a game on 11th, so we all were eager to go out and showcase our talent. The wicket was really good, credit goes to our bowlers for bowling them out for 160 odd. In a tournament like this, momentum is really important, we have seen that with RCB winning their matches continuously and gaining the momentum even we wanted that momentum, so we wanted to go out and wanted the rain to stop but it was disappointing. But, we were the table toppers and we have got a lot of support from the management, credit to the owners, SRK and Jay sir were also there tonight to support us. It is always special for players like us to play in the IPL final, it’s a dreamy moment for us, going to Chennai and looking forward to it. We have a realistic chance to win the trophy now. We were raring to go out there, when you have the momentum you want to really go out there. You saw Rinku fielding in hotspots and taking those catches. It’s the excitement we have to go out there and perform.

Pat Cummins | SRH skipper: Yeah we will try to put this behind quickly, good thing we will have a crack at it (second qualifier). You have those days in T20 cricket where things doesn't quite work out. We weren't where we wanted with the bat and obviously couldn't do much with the ball. Felt that extra batting was important (picking the impact sub) on this wicket. Thought KKR bowled really well, there was a little bit in it early on and the surface got better. We all have played enough cricket, and going to a new venue (Chennai) helps us as well, so we gotta keep this behind and move on.

22:46 Local Time, 17:16 GMT, 22:46 IST: 2012. 2014. 2021. 2024. KKR set to play their fourth final in the history of IPL. They finished the league stage as the number 1 team and they have played like the best team of the season tonight. Couldn't have been anymore convincing. Mitchell Starc got the Knights off to a dream start by dismissing Head for a duck and he bowled a magnificent spell in the powerplay to reduce SRH to 39/4. Tripathi and Klaasen added some pivotal runs, however, the KKR bowlers choked them in the middle overs as Sunrisers finished with a mediocre total. In reply, the KKR openers gave a perfect start, while the two Iyers (Shreyas and Venkatesh) finished off the run chase with an excellent partnership for the third wicket. Head who had a great outing here in the final of 2023 World Cup had a horrible game tonight. Was dismissed for a duck earlier in the evening and was smashed all around the park by Shreyas towards the end.