Pat Cummins has won the World Cup; he knows how to keep dressing room running: Suresh Raina

Pat Cummins. (Source -IPL/BCCI)

In this article, Suresh Raina praises Pat Cummins, highlighting his experience in winning the World Cup and managing the dressing room. The IPL moves into the final showdown of the 2024 season as Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad gear up for one last time at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday, May 26.

This season has proved to be a run-fest with a team total of 250+ being achieved eight times, which is four times more than what was achieved in the history of IPL. This onslaught was led by the two teams playing the finals, with SRH crossing 250 in three games whereas KKR achieved the score on two such occasions.

JioCinema Experts, Shane Watson, Anil Kumble, and Suresh Raina shared their views on the upcoming blockbuster final.

Anil Kumble on the contest in the finals: Both these teams have redefined how to go about in the powerplay, and we saw that. This is a surface that requires you to utilise the powerplay and we saw how SRH did that. Two teams that have done well throughout the tournament dictated the terms right from ball one consistently and no wonder they are playing the finals in Chennai on Sunday.

Also read: IPL 2024: Final, KKR vs SRH – Top 3 player battles to watch out for

Kumble on the Knight Riders’ chances in the finals: KKR has been the all-round team, with the ball or with the bat. You name it, you have the players with Rinku Singh yet to chip in. When you have a side with explosive batters, a bowler like Starc who is coming into his form, we saw his impact in the last game and Shreyas Iyer. Even he has done exceptionally well as a captain, he has been calm and used his resources well. He got the best out of Russel and they have the firepower with both the bat and ball.

Shane Watson, on whether Sunrisers having an edge of knowing the conditions: It gives Sunrisers an edge for sure as they know how the wicket plays, especially when there is no dew. They will have to back-up, and regenerate their mental and physical energy quickly, but for me, KKR are the favourites. They are fresh as a daisy; they have got world-class players through their team, and they are going to be very hard to defeat.

Also read: ‘I wasn’t too sure what to expect’ – Pat Cummins opens up on T20 captaincy stint

Suresh Raina on Cummins and SRH gearing up for the finals: Sunrisers should back their batting-first approach and put runs on the board, but the eight overs of spin will be crucial. With KKR having won an IPL in Chennai, the pressure will be different. The key point for SRH is Pat Cummins who has already won the World Cup, he knows how to keep the dressing room running. You follow the process, you are switched on for the finals, the players know their roles, and everything will be organised.