No player from Team India’s 15-member T20 World Cup squad will feature in the IPL 2024 final.
Rajasthan Royals’ promising youngsters faltered in the Qualifier 2 of the 2024 Indian Premier League, as the challenging slow track proved their nemesis against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. SRH’s unheralded spin duo, Abhishek Sharma and Shahbaz Ahmed outfoxed the RR batters as they orchestrated a 36-run victory, setting up an IPL final clash with Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
Rajasthan Royals’ Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson run between the wickets (PTI)
Rajasthan Royals’ defeat also means that no player from India’s T20 World Cup squad will feature in this season’s final. Although Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh will take the field, he is part of the four-man reserve list for the T20 World Cup, not the main 15-member squad.
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The Royals’ squad included three players who will participate in Indian colours in the T20 World Cup next month: captain Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Earlier this week, Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj – also part of India’s squad – represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator match, but RR’s four-wicket victory ended their campaign, preventing them from taking a shot at the final.
In the second qualifier, the lack of dew meant SRH relied heavily on their spin options to trouble the RR batters, thus sealing a place in their third IPL final after previous appearances in 2016 and 2018.
RR’s batting disappointment
Chasing a target of 176, Rajasthan Royals were restricted to 139 for 7. Abhishek Sharma’s 2/24 in 4 overs and Shahbaz Ahmed’s 3/23 in 4 overs forced key players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Riyan Parag into a series of poor decisions. This period of misjudgment dashed RR’s hopes of reaching their third final in the league.
The contrast between the two sides’ spin attacks was stark. Abhishek and Shahbaz’s combined figures of 5 for 47 in 8 overs stood in sharp relief against the performance of Rajasthan’s renowned spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, who conceded 77 runs in their 8 overs without taking a wicket. This significant disparity in effectiveness highlighted the decisive difference that ultimately led to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s triumph and Rajasthan Royals’ exit.
