IPL 2024, Final. (Source – IPL/BCCI)
In a surprising turn of events, the presentation ceremony after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) started after a very long delay. Fans were left frustrated as they had to wait 90 minutes after the end of the match to witness the final presentation ceremony of the 17th edition of the cash-rich league.
SRH skipper Pat Cummins elected to bat first after winning the toss on a red-soil pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The KKR bowlers were on song and made life difficult for the formidable SRH batting line-up. Shreyas Iyer and Co. picked up wickets at regular intervals, as only two out of the top seven batters finished with strike rates of over 100. Andre Russell starred with the ball, as he bagged a three-for, while Mitchell Starc and Harshit Rana scalped two wickets apiece. The Orange Army were bowled out for a paltry 113 in 18.3 overs.
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In reply, Sunil Narine departed in the second over, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Venkatesh Iyer hit a flurry of boundaries and stitched an enthralling 91-run partnership off 45 balls to deflate SRH’s spirits. Eventually, Venkatesh finished unbeaten on 52 off 26 balls, as KKR raced to the target in 10.3 overs, with eight wickets to spare. The second innings comprised only 72 minutes, as the match ended by 10:30 pm. Fans were expecting that the presentation ceremony would start soon. However, it began after 90 minutes, i.e. at 11:53 pm.
What was the reason behind the long delay?
Since the IPL 2024 final culminated quite early, the match ended before the scheduled broadcast time. If the presentation ceremony had started right after the final, broadcasters would have encountered losses. To ensure that the broadcasters didn’t incur losses and to fill the scheduled broadcast time appropriately, the presentation was intentionally delayed by showing continuous advertisements.
Also, the IPL commentators were seen interviewing the KKR players after they won the coveted title for the third time. This was done to keep the audience glued to their television and fill the time effectively. As a result, the broadcast time to finish the match was on track and the broadcasters of IPL 2024 didn’t suffer any financial losses.