The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League will come to an end with a blockbuster showdown at iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, May 26. The IPL 2024 final match will see Kolkata Knight Riders clashing with Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chepauk from 7:30 pm onwards. Over two months of intense T20 cricket featuring ten teams in this sweltering Indian summer created many records and showcased the best of talent from India and around the world. As Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad and Shreyas Iyer’s Kolkata Knight Riders gear up for the title clash, here are four shocking facts about IPL 2024 final match:
1: Pat Cummins and Mitch Starc – Battle of most costliest players
At the mini-auction held in Dubai, two Australian players scripted history as they became the costliest buys in IPL. First came the purchase of Pat Cummins. Many questioned SRH owner Kavya Maran for buying Cummins at a staggering Rs 20.5 crore. But this record didn’t last long as Kolkata Knight Riders bought Mitch Starc for a whopping Rs 24.75 crore. And both these players will feature in the IPL 2024 final match on Sunday.
2: No maiden champion in IPL 17
Both SRH and KKR have been crowned champions on two occasion each. While SRH won the title in 2009 and 2016, KKR won the championship in 2012 and 2014. In the playoffs, RCB were the only team that had not won the championship so far. Rajasthan Royals, who had finished third in the league stage, had won the tournament in 2008.
3: Indian heartache: No member of T20 squad in the finals
If either RR or RCB had qualified for the IPL final, the Sunday title clash would have featured some members of India’s T20 World Cup squad. But the two finalists – SRH and KKR – don’t have a single member of the India squad. The ICC T20 World Cup will begin from June 2 till June 29 in the US and West Indies.
4: Pat Cummins’ unique hat-trick as Aussie captain
If Pat Cummins wins the IPL 2024, he will become the third Australian player to win the championship for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Before him, Adam Gilchrist had won the IPL for erstwhile Deccan Chargers in 2009. Then David Warner won the title in the 2016 edition for SRH. Cummins had a stellar 2023. He led the Australian cricket team to the Ashes, World Cup Test Championships and finally the ICC ODI World Cup.