AHMEDABAD: Mitchell Starc struck three early blows to help Kolkata Knight Riders storm into the IPL final with an eight-wicket thrashing of Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad’s searing heat on Tuesday. Two-time champions Kolkata bowled out Hyderabad for 159 as Starc returned figures of 3-34 in the first play-off - qualifier 1 - at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.

“We needed to pick early wickets,” player of the match Starc said after the dominant win, which took Kolkata into their fourth IPL final. “The spinners were effective and the whole bowling department was bang on.”

Starc, a left-arm quick, once again justified his price tag from the December auction after he became the most expensive buy in IPL history when Kolkata got him for $2.98 million. The figure quickly broke a record after Hyderabad brought Pat Cummins for $2.5 million in the same auction and later made him captain.

Venkatesh Iyer, on 51, and skipper Shreyas Iyer, on 58, remained unbeaten in Ahmedabad as Kolkata achieved their target with 38 balls to spare. Hyderabad will have another shot at making the final when they clash with the winner of the eliminator in the second qualifier on Friday in Chennai.

“We all have played enough cricket, and going to a new venue (Chennai) helps us as well, so we gotta keep this behind and move on,” said Cummins. Ahmedabad remained hot as temperatures in the afternoon soared above 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) for the second successive day.

The 132,000-capacity stadium had many empty seats. Stadium officials said more than 75,000 fans turned up as they braved the heat carrying water bottles for hydration. Bowlers also took regular drinks on the outfield between overs.

Most of India’s northern states have remained under government heatwave alerts since last week, with capital New Delhi recording 47.4 degrees Celsius.

‘Mesmerizing’ bowling

Starc struck with the second ball of the match when he had fellow Australian Travis Head bowled for a second successive duck in the T20 tournament. It was Starc’s twin strikes in his third over that rattled the opposition as he sent back Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed with successive balls as Hyderabad slipped to 39-4 in five overs. Rahul Tripathi, who made 55, and Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 32, hit back in a stand of 62 before Varun Chakravarthy broke through with his spin to send back Klaasen.

“I think the way every bowler stood up to this occasion, the way they came in and took wickets, that was imperative,” said Shreyas of his team’s bowling show. “The attitude and approach of all bowlers was to take wickets and they did. When you have a variety in the bowling line-up, it’s mesmerizing.”

Tripathi was run out and wickets kept tumbling before Cummins boosted the total with his 24-ball 30. In reply, Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave Kolkata a strong start with his 23 off 14 balls and fellow opener Sunil Narine made 21 before being dismissed by Cummins.

Venkatesh, a left-hand batsman, kept up the charge in an unbeaten stand of 97 with Shreyas, who steered the team home with a six. Rajasthan Royals will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the eliminator at the same venue.

Meanwhile, Rahmanullah Gurbaz left his hospitalized mother’s bedside in Afghanistan to play a pivotal role in propelling Kolkata Knight Riders into the final on his first IPL appearance this season. The wicketkeeper-batsman hit a quickfire 23 to set up Kolkata’s chase of 160 as they hammered Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets on Tuesday in Ahmedabad.

It was the 22-year-old’s first outing in this edition of the world’s richest cricket competition, having made the heart-wrenching decision to leave his ailing mother. He answered the SOS call from his team after Phil Salt left to prepare for England’s T20 World Cup campaign. “My mum is still sick. I went there (back to Afghanistan),” Gurbaz told reporters.

“I got a call from KKR once Phil Salt was leaving. They called me and messaged me saying, ‘Gurbaz, we need you. What is your situation?’ “I said I’ll come.” Gurbaz joined two-time champions Kolkata ahead of last season but has been a bit-part player. He flew home to be with his mother, but returned when his team needed him most. “My mother is still recovering in the hospital, I speak to her every day,” he said. “But I knew my KKR is also my family. They needed me here, so I came back from Afghanistan.

“It’s hard, it’s tough, but I have to manage.” The glovesman took two catches as Hyderabad were bowled out for 159 with pace ace Mitchell Starc returning figures of 3-34. He then hit a 14-ball knock laced with two fours and two sixes to set the pace for Kolkata’s chase in 13.4 overs and their entry into their fourth IPL final. “As a cricketer you know what to do,” he said.

“If you do not have an opportunity, you should prepare well and be ready. Whenever you get a chance, you have to be ready.” Despite limited playing time in the IPL, Gurbaz has played 55 times for Afghanistan in T20s and is set to be a key member at the World Cup next month. Most of the Afghan players are already in the West Indies for the tournament but Gurbaz said his focus is on the IPL final and his “first priority is KKR”. The final is on Sunday in Chennai.

Hyderabad will have another shot on Friday at making the decider when they clash with the winner of Wednesday’s game between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. — AFP