Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has expressed strong support for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to secure their third IPL title, deeming them favorites against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the upcoming final on Sunday. Pietersen highlighted that SRH’s inability to handle pressure and some poor decisions by Pat Cummins allowed KKR to dominate their recent encounter in Ahmedabad.
KKR has had an impressive season, finishing at the top of the league table with only three defeats. They have already beaten SRH twice this season, once in the league stage and again in Qualifier 1. In the qualifier match in Ahmedabad, SRH struggled significantly and lost in a one-sided battle, adding to the pressure they will face in the final.
Pietersen criticized SRH’s performance in the qualifier, noting that they seemed to give up under pressure. He specifically mentioned Pat Cummins’ decision to hand the ball to Travis Head, which allowed Shreyas Iyer to capitalize and secure a victory for KKR. This performance, according to Pietersen, will give KKR a psychological edge going into the final.
“I didn’t like the way the Sunrisers threw in the towel the other evening in Ahmedabad, and I think it’s going to put them on the back foot for the start on Sunday. The way they just finished that game off, Pat Cummins gave Travis Head the ball, and Shreyas Iyer just went bang, bang, bang. It’ll give KKR a lot of confidence going into the finals knowing that they’ve already beaten SRH a couple of days ago,” Pietersen said on Star Sports.
SRH, under the leadership of Pat Cummins, who was acquired for INR 20.5 crore in the IPL 2024 auction, will look to replicate their 2016 title-winning performance. Cummins’ recent successes with the Australian team, including winning the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup, add to the expectations of him leading SRH to victory.
Despite the setback, Pietersen acknowledged that SRH has a proven structure for winning big titles, as evidenced by their recent SA20 championship win. He believes that this experience and belief within the franchise could help them overcome the challenges in the final.
“So it’s going to be really hard for the Sunrisers to get up, but I think they will because they won the SA20, so they know how to win. They’ve got a structure that knows how to win, and when you’ve got that belief within the franchise, that belief within the ownership, then momentum has its own way. I’m actually very, very happy that SRH got into the final just because of what they’ve done for the game of cricket in the last eight to nine weeks. I think it is absolutely right that the Sunrisers are in this final,” Pietersen added.
As the final approaches, both teams are gearing up for a highly anticipated clash, with KKR aiming to leverage their recent dominance over SRH, and SRH striving to draw on their winning experience to claim the coveted IPL title.
