What happened the last time KKR played SRH in an IPL playoff match?

With four teams finally sealing their playoff spots, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) are all set to lock horns in the Qualifier 1 contest of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, May 21.

While KKR finished on top of the points table and became the first team to qualify for the playoffs, SRH, who were placed third after 13 games, rose to the second spot after clinching a victory in their last game of the league stage against Punjab Kings (PBKS).

The last time KKR made it to the playoff was in 2021, when they ended as the runners-up. SRH, on the other hand, will be playing their first playoff match since IPL 2020, where they won the Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (now Bengaluru) before losing the Qualifier 2 to Delhi Capitals (DC).

KKR and SRH last faced each other in a playoff match in IPL 2018, when they squared off in the Qualifier 2. The Hyderabad-based outfit won the encounter by 14 runs and secured a spot in the summit clash before losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

To start with, KKR won the toss and put their opposition to bat first at their home ground, Eden Gardens. SRH started well as openers Wriddhiman Saha (35 off 37) and Shikhar Dhawan (34 off 24) stitched a 56-run stand before Kuldeep Yadav dismissed the latter.

While the middle-order batters couldn’t contribute much, a 24-ball 28 by Shakib al Hasan, run-a-ball 19 by Deepak Hooda and Rashid Khan’s magnificent 10-ball 34* runs cameo in the end helped SRH post 174 runs on the scoreboard despite losing seven wickets.

Coming to the chase, KKR started off well as openers Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine got to business from the word go. After the latter’s wicket, Nitish Rana supported Lynn brilliantly on the field but a run-out halted his momentum.

While Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik failed to get going, powerful all-rounder Andre Russell too couldn’t get enough runs to his name. It was then Shubman Gill’s 30(20) that kept KKR’s hopes alive but Rashid Khan’s brilliance with the ball helped SRH hold KKR to 160/9.

After a terrific showing with the bat, Rashid put up a memorable performance while defending the total. Carlos Brathwaite and Shakib too contributed well with the ball as SRH clinched a 14-run victory to qualify for the IPL 2018 final.