New Delhi, May 25: Cricketer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is not known much for making big statements. He rather likes to let the ball answer questions related to him and his team.
He is definitely not the same pacer after years of his association with the game. He has been hit hard by number of injuries. But in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, he has somehow been impressive for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
As his team SRH entered the IPL 2024 final and would be playing favourites and Table Toppers Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Bhuvneshwar said on Friday night after the match that he is confident of winning the IPL title. SRH he said is geared up for the summit clash against KKR at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
SRH defeated Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs in Qualifier 2 on Friday to reach the final. However, they lost Qualifier 1 against KKR by eight wickets and were scheduled to play the encounter against Rajasthan for the final spot.
This is the first time in six seasons that Hyderabad are playing the final. They last reached the final in 2018 and lost the title to MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.
In the last three seasons, they failed to reach the playoffs and in fact, finished at bottom in the previous edition of the IPL.
Bhuvneshwar expressed his excitement to play the summit clash and is eager to lift the trophy.
"It's a different feeling because we hadn't played in the playoffs for the last three seasons. It's a great feeling. The way we were playing this season, we had a feeling we would reach the final, and then it was a one-match scenario. Everyone's happy with how everyone has contributed, it was fantastic teamwork... Winning the IPL title is really special and now that we have reached the final, we will definitely win the trophy," Bhuvneshwar told Jiocinema.
Rahul Tripathi, who contributed 37 runs against Rajasthan, said he was waiting for his opportunity to showcase his talent. He played only five matches this season and scored 156 runs including a half-century.
"I had to wait for my opportunity, it was tough. Even when I wasn't playing, I was thinking about how I would help the team when the opportunity came my way and how I could put my best foot forward. That thinking helped me. My preparation was to contribute positively whenever I got an opportunity," he said.
Former India spinner Anil Kumble lauded Shabaz Ahmed's all-round performance that awarded him Player of the Match on Friday.
He scored 18 runs and also bagged three crucial wickets of Yashaasvi Jaiswal (42), Riyan Parag (6) and Ravichandran Ashwin (0) in his four-over spell to restrict Rajasthan for 139/7 in 20 overs.
"Even with his previous franchise, RCB, he had the cricket smarts. He came in a different position, and even today, he batted. Yes, he bowled really well and got the length right. On Chennai pitches, you need to get the length right and bowl stump-to-stump, that's all you need to do," Kumble said.
"You don't need to think about anything else. You have to try to spin the ball, hit the pitch, and bowl a good length where it's going to hit the stumps and that's exactly what Shabhaz did. With the bat, his partnership with Klaasen, he batted really well. They were losing wickets, and his job was to be there till Klaasen was there and then take a chance. He did that to good effect," he added.
However, despite Bhuvneshwar's claim that SRH can upset KKR and win the IPL 2024 title, experts feels that the Chennai conditions and team balance may put the Kolkata franchise bit ahead of SRH in the summit clash on Sunday. (With IANS support)
