(AP Photo)
IPL 2024 Final: Former India cricketer Varun Aaron believes that SRH bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and captain Pat Cummins will be crucial in managing KKR’s Sunil Narine during the season’s final clash. Narine’s exceptional batting form in KKR’s opening lineup poses a significant threat to SRH in the upcoming match on Sunday.
Former India pacer Varun Aaron believes that SRH’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar and captain Pat Cummins will be crucial in managing KKR’s explosive opener Sunil Narine when the teams face off in the IPL 2024 Final on May 26. Aaron highlighted that Bhuvneshwar’s swinging deliveries and Cummins’s effective bouncers could pose challenges for Narine, who has been in outstanding batting form throughout IPL 2024. The 36-year-old Narine has been a cornerstone of KKR’s success this season, especially with his opening partnership with Phil Salt.
After Salt left the KKR camp to join the England national team for the Pakistan series, Rahmanullah Gurbaz stepped in to open alongside Narine during their Qualifier 1 match against SRH on May 21. The pair had a respectable performance, putting together a partnership of 44 runs. However, Pat Cummins-led SRH will be vigilant about Narine’s potential impact in the high-stakes final, which is already seen as a key factor leading up to the match. Narine has scored a total of 482 runs in his 14 matches in IPL 2024, making him one of the main players to watch in this crucial game.
“I think Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar) is gonna be the ace up their sleeve for this batting combination, particularly. Narine doesn’t like the ball swinging and Bhuvi we know that he is the master of swing. So I think all bets are gonna be on Bhuvi to get Narine out at the beginning,” Aaron said.
“If that doesn’t work Pat Cummins has a very good bouncer, and he could threaten Narine with those kinds of deliveries. And Gurbaz, if he gets out he might just go on and get out because he takes too many risks. Either he will get out at the beginning or he might just pull off a miracle,” Aaron added.
It will be intriguing to observe the opening overs’ strategy Cummins chooses against the in-form KKR opening duo. This decision could be a crucial factor in determining who ultimately claims the IPL title in what has been an exciting season so far.
