Even as the Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad marched into the Indian Premier League 2024 final in Chennai on Friday (May 24), the joy was there for all to see in co-owner Kavya Maran's actions and expressions. Maran celebrated each wicket with gusto, and images, videos of her rejoicing at the MA Chidambaram Stadium gained traction on social media. (As It Happened | Scorecard)
All of this because Cummins read the Chepauk conditions with aplomb, and used his spinners to great effect as the Rajasthan Royals were restricted to a sub-par total of 139/7 after 20 overs while chasing in pursuit of SRH's 176-run target. Abhishek Sharma (2/24 in 4 overs) and Shahbaz Ahmed (3/23 in 4 overs) were the stars of the evening, on a slow pitch in Chennai.
In contrast, Royals' seasoned spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (0/43 in 4 overs) and Yuzvendra Chahal (0/34 in 4 overs) were not as successful. A 34-ball 50 from Heinrich Klaasen guided Hyderabad to 175, a total which many felt was likely to be overhauled. But Cummins and Co had other ideas.
The emotions were transparent among the SRH fans and Maran alike, as the pride of seeing her team enter the IPL title clash after a challenging campaign came to the fore. You can watch the video of Maran's celebration below.
The Sunrisers will meet Kolkata Knight Riders in the final in Chennai on Sunday (May 26). This will be the second time the two teams will meet in the IPL 2024 play-offs, as KKR had booked their ticket to the summit meeting with an eight-wicket thrashing of SRH.
