Kolkata cruises to IPL final with a thumping win over Hyderabad

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Mitchell Starc dismantled the batting power-house of Sunrisers Hyderabad for 159 and spearheaded two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders to the Indian Premier League final with a crushing eight-wicket win in the playoff on Tuesday.

Starc, who had signed for a record-breaking $2.9 million in his IPL return, reserved his best for the big game in the playoff with 3-34 after Hyderabad won the toss but crumbled against the Australian left-arm fast bowler.

Kolkata, which topped the points table with nine wins, cruised to 164-2 in just 13.4 overs with captain Shreyas Iyer (58) and Venkatesh Iyer (51) both hitting unbeaten half-centuries.

Hyderabad will get another chance to qualify for the final on Friday when they meet the winner of Wednesday’s eliminator between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals.

Starc sliced through the top-order with his impeccable seam and swing and reduced Hyderabad to 39-4 inside the batting power play. Starc had his Australian teammate Travis Head for second successive duck in the tournament when he had him clean bowled off the second delivery that swung away late from the left-hander.

Andre Russell then timed his jump to perfection and held onto a terrific catch of Abhishek Sharma (3) at extra cover off Vaibhav Arora (1-17) in the second over before Starc beat Nitish Kumar Reddy (9) through pace off a short ball and then Shahbaz Ahmed played the ball back onto his stumps off the next delivery.

Starc should have dismissed top-scorer Rahul Tripathi (55) for 15 in his second over second when television replays suggested the ball had hit the right-hander flush on the foot but Kolkata didn’t got for the referral.

Tripathi raised his half-century off 29 balls and together with Heinrich Klaasen (32) revived the innings with a 62-run stand but Kolkata came back strongly in the middle overs once Klaasen holed out in the deep off Varun Chakravarthy (2-26) in the 11th over.

Hyderabad was in danger to get out cheaply at 9-126 before Pat Cummins (30) farmed the strike in the last four overs and pushed the score to some respectability.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (23) and Sunil Narine (21) provided Kolkata a rollicking start off 44 off just 20 balls as Cummins leaked 20 runs off his first over. Gurbaz, playing his first game of the season after Phil Salt went back to England for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, hit two boundaries and two sixes and Narine also smacked four boundaries.

Shreyas and Venkatesh then shared a rapid 97-run stand as Shreyas rushed through the chase by striking three sixes and a four against Head.

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