Sunrisers Hyderabad will meet Kolkata Knight Riders in a blockbuster final of the 2024 Indian Premier League in Chennai. KKR were the first to qualify for the final after they defeated the same opponents in a rather one-sided first qualifier earlier this week; however, the Sunrisers made a strong comeback in the second qualifier against Rajasthan Royals, beating them by 36 runs to seal a rematch against Shreyas Iyer's men.

As SRH return to Chepauk Stadium for the final clash against KKR, their star opener, Abhishek Sharma, had a message for locals. Chennai is home to the Chennai Super Kings, who have a massive fan following across the city; however, the side was narrowly knocked out in the league stage after their final game defeat against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Abhishek has requested the CSK fans to come out in numbers and support the Sunrisers for the marquee final with the Knight Riders.

“I know in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have got a massive fan following here. I would request all the CSK fans to come and support us in the final,” Abhishek said in a video shared by IPL.

SRH received a significant fan support during their Qualifier 2 match against Rajasthan Royals, and will hope to have the backing from the crowd when they meet the high-flying Knight Riders, who had also topped the group stage with 20 points in 14 games.

Abhishek on bowling

In the second qualifier, Pat Cummins threw in a surprise when he completed all four overs from Abhishek Sharma; not primarily known for his bowling skills, Abhishek impressed on a sluggish surface in Chennai as he registered brilliant figures of 2/24 in four overs. In the video, Abhishek also talked about how he worked on his bowling.

“My father will be very happy, he was a left-arm spinner. He has been working really hard on my bowling,” Abhishek said.

“Somehow, I knew that if I kept on working on my bowling I could contribute to my team. From the junior cricket, I have been bowling a lot. I was waiting for this opportunity. It was not easy, I had to convince my captain and coach because they had not seen me bowling much.”

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