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

Former international cricketers Wasim Jaffer, Varun Aaron, Mitchell McClenaghan, and Tom Moody predicted the winner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final match. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face each other in the summit clash of the ongoing tournament.

The much-awaited final match between the Knight Riders and Hyderabad will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 26. It's worth mentioning that the Shreyas Iyer-led team successfully defeated the Pat Cummins-led team in their last two encounters in the IPL 2024 season.

The Kolkata team secured a narrow four-run win against SRH in their season opener. The two-time IPL champions defeated the Pat Cummins-led team by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad on May 21. Meanwhile, SRH earned their spot in the final by defeating the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2.

Watch - Former International Cricketers Predict IPL 2024 Winner

Ahead of the final, Wasim Jaffer, Varun Aaron, Mitchell McClenaghan, and Tom Moody shared their thoughts on the winner. Wasim Akram, Varun Aaron, and Mitchell McClenaghan named the Kolkata Knight Riders as winners, while Tom Moody backed SunRisers Hyderabad to secure their second title.

KKR 3-1 SRH, as far as #IPL2024 predictions go from our panel 😄

Which team will go all the way this evening? 🏆 #IPLfinal pic.twitter.com/KXVQNuD00A

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 26, 2024

KKR has covered all bases well this season. Mitchell Starc delivered a remarkable performance in Qualifier 1, despite a disappointing start. Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana have provided consistent performances. Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer scored impressive half-centuries in the Qualifier 1 match.

SunRisers Hyderabad has a strong seam-bowling attack. Pace bowlers T Natarajan (19), Pat Cummins (17), and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (11) are their leading wicket-takers in IPL 2024. Top-order batter Rahul Tripathi has made significant contributions with the bat, scoring 125 runs in his last three innings.

It Would Be Great - Pat Cummins

SRH captain Pat Cummins acknowledged the team's successful run but remained realistic. The 31-year-old pacer commended players for SunRisers Hyderabad's success in reaching the final.

"It would be great (winning the title) but the run's going to stop at some point. It's been a great couple of years, but I haven't captained any T20 cricket team before this series. So, I'm not too sure what to expect. It's quite fast-paced," Cummins said.

"We have quite an experienced bowling line-up, including (Jaydev) Unadkat and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar). Also, so many youngsters have come through and have won us games by themselves, like Nitish (Reddy) and Abhishek (Sharma). We also have guys who have been away from the Indian setup, but they have been fantastic. So, that's been the story of our team," he added.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched their maiden IPL title in 2016 by defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a thrilling final. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders secured two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014 under the leadership of Gautam Gambhir.

Also read: KKR vs SRH: Shah Rukh Khan recalls "the saddest moment" of Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL