KKR vs SRH: "Orange Army has saved the best for last" - Pat Cummins warns Shreyas Iyer ahead of IPL 2024 final

SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins fired a massive warning to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) counterpart Shreyas Iyer ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final match. Pat Cummins stated that the "Orange Army has saved the best" for the summit clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

The final will take place between the Kolkata Knight Riders and SunRisers Hyderabad at the M Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai, on May 26, Sunday. It marks the first encounter between the two in the final match of the IPL. KKR has two trophies in their cabinet, while Hyderabad has one trophy in the IPL.

Both teams have reached the IPL 2024 final encounter by adopting an aggressive approach throughout the tournament. Opening batters Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have been key players for the Orange Army, while Phil Salt and Sunil Narine have led the charge for the two-time IPL champions.

The Pat Cummins-led team had disappointing outings against the Shreyas Iyer-led team in the ongoing tournament. The Hyderabad team suffered a narrow four-run loss to KKR in their IPL 2024 opener. The Hyderabad-based team was outplayed by the Knight Riders in the "Qualifier 1" match in Ahmedabad.

You've Given Us A Tough Time This Season - Pat Cummins

The IPL X handle recently shared a video featuring messages exchanged between the captains ahead of the final clash. Pat Cummins acknowledged that the Shreyas Iyer-led team has given them a tough time this season. However, Cummins stated that the Orange Army had saved the best for last.

"Thanks for the little note. Kind of you. Indeed. You two have led by example in a lot of swag, but I can't help but think about our stellar win at this very ground. I hope the KKR boys know what to expect. Come Sunday, you might say you've given us a tough time this season, but let me assure you the Orange Army has saved the best for last," Cummins said.

Cummins has taken 17 wickets in 16 matches, with an average of 32.23 and an economy rate of 9.28. The 31-year-old played a significant role for SRH, which finished at the bottom last season, in rising to second place in the table. Their 36-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 boosted confidence.

Cummins aims to enhance his captaincy achievements with another trophy. T Natarajan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have made contributions to the team's success. Hyderabad's vulnerability to batting collapses, like in Qualifier 1, remains a concern. SRH needs to address collapses to stay competitive against KKR.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted Playing XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Reddy, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Abdul Samad, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan Shahbaz Ahmed

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XII: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Nitish Rana

Also read: KKR vs SRH: Wasim Jaffer, Varun Aaron, and Mitchell McCleneghan Predict IPL 2024 Winner