SRH vs KKR Today Match Prediction | Who Will Win IPL 2024 Final?

SRH will take on KKR in IPL final [AP]SRH will take on KKR in IPL final [AP]

On Sunday evening, Sunrisers Hyderabad will lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders in the grand finale of the ongoing Indian Premier League season. 

Led by Shreyas Iyer, KKR were the first to qualify for the final when they defeated Pat Cummins' troops in the qualifier 1. On the other hand, the Orange Army thrashed Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals in qualifier 2, making a grand entry to the final. 

Considering both teams have a formidable squad, a nail-biting contest is expected at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. So, as KKR and SRH prepare to go up against each other, let's analyse and find out which team could end up winning the ultimate battle. 


KKR vs SRH: Overall balance

Criteria
KKR
SRH
Top-order79
Middle-order8.57.5
Pace bowling8
9
Spin bowling96.5
Overall8.12
8

If we talk about the overall team balance, the Knight Riders have the upper hand over the Sunrisers by a narrow margin. 

Phil Salt's absence has definitely made KKR's top-order weaker, giving an advantage to SRH's top three comprising Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and the in-form Rahul Tripathi. 

Talking about the middle-order, KKR look absolutely ruthless, having the in-form Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer, alongside Andre Russell, Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana. 

Meanwhile, with Nitish Reddy and Aiden Markram plagued by inconsistency, SRH are slightly over-dependent on Heinrich Klaasen, which makes their middle-order slightly inferior than their counterparts. 

SRH's pace bowling department scores higher than KKR's, with Cummins, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan operating more effectively across phases. 

On the contrary, KKR's spin bowling unit looks much better than the Sunrisers' as Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine have reigned supreme in the middle overs. 


KKR vs SRH: Differentiating factors

Head vs Narine - The game-breakers

The middle-order batters from both sides have thrived because of the scintillating starts provided by Travis Head and Sunil Narine at the top. So, whoever among these two performs better in the final could decide the game's outcome. 


KKR's spin vs Heinrich Klaasen

On Chennai's spin-friendly track, Heinrich Klaasen is expected to emerge as SRH's go-to man with the bat in the middle overs. So, Klaasen's contest with the KKR spinners could be a significant factor in this match. 

If the Knight Riders get Klaasen cheaply, they can exploit SRH's undercooked lower middle order. 


KKR's finishers vs SRH pacers

Barring the spinners, KKR's finishers could also play a key role as the likes of Andre Russell and Rinku Singh are capable enough to feast on Hyderabad's death bowling. 

Additionally, unlike SRH, KKR have a deeper batting unit, allowing them to play a fearless brand of cricket in the final. 


KKR vs SRH: playing conditions advantage

The pitch at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai became slower with time in the qualifier 2 between SRH and RR. 

If a similar surface is dished out, it will be in KKR's favour as they have a robust spin bowling unit having Narine and Chakravarty. 

Additionally, they can rope in Suyash Sharma or even Anukul Roy as the impact player, with Harshit Rana, Mitchell Starc and Andre Russell being capable of hitting the deck, which generally works on this kind of pitches. 


KKR vs SRH: Who will win IPL 2024?

Considering all these factors, we reckon KKR will start as the favourites to win this match. Nevertheless, they shouldn't underestimate Pat Cummins, who led Australia to World Cup glory against all odds on a sluggish surface.