SRH VS RR QUALIFIER 2

Right then, after 73 riveting encounters, we are finally down to two teams! It will be Kolkata taking on Hyderabad for the coveted Indian T20 League trophy come Sunday. Both sides are seeking their third title with neither having won it since 2016. The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will play host to the Final and it sure will be a grandeur event. The match will begin on Sunday, 26 May at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT) but you can catch our build-up a lot sooner. Till, then take care and goodbye!

Shahbaz Ahmed is the Player of the Match for his excellent spell with the ball. Shahbaz says that he knows his role and he was to come in if there was going to be a batting collapse. Adds that when he was batting, he felt that the wicket had some purchase with the way Avesh Khan and Sandeep Sharma were bowling. Adds that he is feeling very proud to be the Man of the Match on such a big occasion and is happy to have delivered.

Hyderabad skipper, Pat Cummins says that the final was the target and they have achieved it. Adds that they know their strength is batting but they don't underestimate the experience of T Natarajan, Jaydev Unadkat and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He says that selecting Shahbaz Ahmed as the Impact Player was Daniel Vettori's choice as he loves his left-arm spinners. Mentions that they needed early wickets which they got. Says he won't pretend to know how dew works in India. Ends by saying that there are 60-70 people involved with the franchise and hopefully they have one more win in their bag.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the game, Sanju Samson won the toss and put Hyderabad into bat on a track that seemed to be suiting both the batters and the bowlers. It was a quickfire Powerplay for Hyderabad with the bat but they lost multiple wickets as well. Trent Boult was brilliant upfront and then the spinners do did a decent job. As for Hyderabad, it was Travis Head who looked good early on but it really was Rahul Tripathi who injected some necessary momentum and got quick runs away. The wicket just kept slowing down and the Rajasthan pacers started to use the slower ones to pick up wickets. Avesh Khan did a fine job in the latter stages but Heinrich Klaasen stayed on for a long time and got his side to a defendable total. In reply, there was no dew and Hyderabad's spinners were able to make full use of the dry conditions and just like that, Rajasthan were out of the game and out of the competition.

Abhishek Sharma, one of the stars of Hyderabad's season is down for a chat. Abhishek says that he didn't know he was ready to bowl but didn't know he was going to bowl in this game and credits his Dad for training him. Adds that the surface started quicker but then it helped the spinners and Cummins used the spinners well. Mentions that the hard work he put in the practice sessions is the reason why he was given the ball in this game. Adds that the confidence came from Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as he won the trophy with his state side Punjab and the Hyderabad coaching staff gave the batters the freedom which helped him and ends by saying that he is looking forward to the Final which has been a dream of his.

Sanju Samson, the captain of Rajasthan says that he is proud of his bowlers but they came up short against the spin options in their batting which was the downfall for them. Adds that the wicket reacted differently in the second innings and Hyderabad exploited the conditions well. Tells that  they have had some great matches not just this season but in the previous ones as well and Indian talents like Parag and Jurel have come up through their ranks. Credits Sandeep Sharma and says that he is very happy for him after not being picked up in the auction and coming in as a replacement. Ends by saying that both the teams in the final can use these conditions well and it will be a great one to watch.

Rajasthan will be devastated with this loss and will feel they have let themselves given how they played a large chunk of the league phase. Sanju Samson led the side from the front but it just wasn't meant to be. Yashasvi Jaiswal started off well with the bat and got away to a brisk start but Tom Kohler-Cadmore struggled at the other end with heat and timing and was soon dismissed. Then came the middle overs and Jaiswal got out after getting set and the likes of Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag, generally the backbone of the batting, threw away their wickets. This created immense pressure and Dhruv Jurel played a wonderful bjut lone hand which was never going to be enough.

HYDERABAD HAVE STORMED INTO THE FINAL OF THE INDIAN T20 LEAGUE 2024! The perks of finishing in the top two in the group stage and Hyderabad have made full use of this second chance. Rajasthan could have easily been in the top two but they let things slip late in the group stage and they have done so in this game as well as Hyderabad are able to shrug off the loss in Qualifier 1 to put on a fine comeback sort of a performance. It was a very tidy start by the Hyderabad pacers and they managed to bog down Tom Kohler-Cadmore at one end and even got him out but the decision to bring Bhuvneshwar Kumar for an extra over inside the Powerplay changed things and suddenly, they were under a bit of pump. However, even without world-class spinners in the side, Pat Cummins trusted the Impact Sub, Shahbaz Ahmed to lead in the middle overs, and boy, he delivered big time and along with Abhishek Sharma, the pair ripped through Rajasthan's batters. Ahmed got 3 wickets and Sharma too got 2 wickets and from there on it was about managing the game which Pat Cummins did quite well.

IT WILL BE KOLKATA VS HYDERABAD IN THE FINAL! T Natarajan bangs it short again, on middle, Dhruv Jurel mistimes his cut to backward point for one. HYDERABAD WIN BY 36 RUNS!

Short and on middle, Dhruv Jurel looks to pull but gets a top edge that falls well in front of short fine leg.

A low full toss, on middle, Dhruv Jurel drives it towards long on.

Slower bouncer, on off, Dhruv Jurel tries to upper cut it but mistimes it on the bounce to short third man.

FOUR! Gets it away! A full toss, on middle, Dhruv Jurel smacks it wide of long on fro a boundary.

Pitched up, on middle, Dhruv Jurel drills it straigh to long on.

Hard length and on middle, Trent Boult swats it to mid-wicket. The celebrations begin in the Hyderabad camp.

Pat Cummins continues with his shorter length, on middle, Dhruv Jurel hooks it on the bounce to fine leg for just one. There are tears already in the eyes of Rajasthan fans.