Kolkata Knight Riders: The playoff matches have started in IPL 2024 and in the first qualifier on Tuesday, 21 May, Kolkata Knight Riders performed brilliantly and defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets to secure their place in the final. KKR had performed brilliantly in the league stage and played against Hyderabad in the same style. Looking at the game of Shreyas Iyer's team, they are being called contenders to become champions, while an interesting coincidence has also happened in their favor, which can work to boost the confidence of the team before the final.

Since 2018, the team that wins Qualifier 1 in IPL has become the champion

After Kolkata Knight Riders' win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1, a very special coincidence has come to light, which can help KKR become champions for the third time in IPL history. In fact, in the IPL since 2018, whichever team has won the first Qualifier 1, the same team has won the final and helped in becoming the champion.

This series started in IPL 2018 with Chennai Super Kings, who won Qualifier 1 and then won the trophy by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final. In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals respectively in Qualifier 1 and then won the final to win two consecutive trophies. At the same time, in 2021, Chennai Super Kings won Qualifier 1 and became the champion, while Gujarat Titans in 2022 and CSK again in 2023 did this feat. For this reason, this time the Kolkata team is also being considered a contender to become the champion.

Talking about Qualifier 1 played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Sunrisers Hyderabad's batting proved to be a flop and the team collapsed after scoring 159 without playing the entire over. In reply, Kolkata team registered an easy victory in the 14th over with the help of unbeaten half-centuries from captain Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer.

In the final, Kolkata will face the team that wins Qualifier 2, while the winner of the eliminator match played between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore will get a chance to face Sunrisers Hyderabad.