Sunrisers suffered a horrible system failure on the biggest stage of all as they collapsed to a miserable 113 all out in 18.3 overs after choosing to bat first and Venkatesh Iyer’s 52* from just 26 balls (4×4, 3×6) led KKR to 114-2 in just 10.3 overs to conclude a well-deserved third title.

Kolkata bowled out Sunrisers for 113, a total they overhauled with 9.3 overs to spare as Venkatesh Iyer hammered an unbeaten 52 in Chennai.

Afghan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz anchored the run-chase with 39 from 32 balls after the early dismissal of Sunil Narine (6) allowing Iyer to crash his team to victory in the company of captain, Shreyas Iyer (6*).

KKR delivered a stunning bowling and fielding performance led by league’s most expensive player, Mitchell Starc, who struck in the first over bowling Abhishek Sharma (2) with a brute of an away-swinger before finishing with 2-14 from just three overs.

The Knight Riders were the outstanding team throughout the league stage of the tournament, comfortably finishing top of the standings with nine wins and just three losses from their 14 matches finishing three points clear of the Sunrisers in second place.

In the first Qualifier Match between the two teams KKR prevailed by eight wickets to secure direct passage to the final while the Sunrisers took the ‘difficult’ route by beating the Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs in the second Eliminator Match.

Despite an awkward pitch it was a mere formality for the Knight Riders to clinch their third IPL title with Venkatesh clipping, whipping and driving boundaries seemingly at will.

Battling blitz

This match was the last act of this year’s IPL, which turned out to be a campaign where batters dominated like never before.

The batting blitz however, in the Indian Premier League this year, has divided fans and players and triggered debate ahead of the World Cup about what it means for Twenty20 cricket.

Sunrisers Hyderabad twice broke the IPL scoring record this year with innings of 277 and 287.

Veteran cricket journalist Ayaz Memon told AFP the big scores in the IPL over the past two months were taking something away from the game.

“People love to watch sixes and fours,” Memon said.

“But beyond that they also like a good contest.”

The impact player rule – and smarter use of it – has been pinpointed as the biggest reason for the skyscraper totals in the 17th edition of the IPL.

It will not be in play at the World Cup, which begins on Saturday in the United States and West Indies.

The concept was introduced last year in the IPL and allows the replacement of a player named in the starting team at any point after the toss.

The rule allows teams batting first to play an extra big-hitting batsman down the order, who can then be replaced by a bowler when they field.

Alternatively, a bowler can be replaced if they bat second.
Opponents of the rule say it has upset the fine balance between batter and bowler that gives cricket its drama.

Flatter IPL pitches and shorter boundaries have also played a part, pundits say.

Bowlers have found it particularly tough to stop the batting onslaught in the first six overs of powerplay when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle.

“If it gets too lopsided in favor of batsmen because of the nature of pitches and shorter boundaries, then it can get a little predictable – in that the bowlers have a reduced role,” Memon said.

He noted that even Virat Kohli – who leads the tournament batting charts with 741 runs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru – said “there needs to be a balance between bat and ball”.

Young stars including Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk (Delhi Capitals) and England’s Will Jacks (Bengaluru) have made hay in this IPL with punishing strike rates of over 234 and 175 respectively.

India’s premier spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin says pinning the big innings this season solely on the impact of sub rule is doing batsmen a disservice.

“Even if the impact player rule wasn’t there, scores would be this high,” Ashwin, of Rajasthan Royals, was quoted saying this week.”In my opinion, batters have more confidence and pitches everywhere have been standardised.”

He added: “In the future, all bowlers will need to be hitters because we know that no matter how well we bowl, we also need to be able to bat.

“The game is headed in that direction.”

But many players and pundits say it is too early to say whether the big-hitting trend will extend to T20 cricket beyond this IPL.

Australia’s veteran opening batsman David Warner does not foresee a run-fest at the World Cup, and not just because there will be no impact sub rule.

Warner says the pitches in the West Indies in particular will have something for the bowlers.

“They can be slower and they’re gonna turn a bit,” Warner, 37, told reporters last month, leaning on his experience in the Caribbean Premier League.

He added: “It’s gonna be completely different there. Add the natural elements as well. They’re going to be predominantly day games, I think, because of the timings.

“So that plays a big factor,” Warner said.

What’s next

After wrapping up IPL, Ariana Television Network (ATN) will proudly broadcast the T20 World Cup 2024 exclusively on Ariana Television.

For more details on the upcoming event be sure to stay tuned and watch this space.