5 countries with highest number of players in IPL 2024 final

After two months of intense cricketing action, it will be the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) fighting it out for the coveted Indian Premier League (IPL) title on Sunday (May 26). KKR and SRH have been the two best teams in the competition and will fittingly play the final.

Over the course of the last couple of months, we witnessed several cliffhangers and exceptional battles but what stood out was the mentality of the batters and how they kept plundering bowling attacks. Sunrisers Hyderabad was the team with a clear template of going from ball one.

Scores of 287, 277 and 266 were fair reflections of how they batted for the majority of the competition. Meanwhile, KKR has looked like the most well-oiled unit wiith most of their bases covered. They will come into the tournament with their noses slightly ahead. However, the pitch at the Chepauk will assist the spinners and the SRH batters could have their work cut out.

The final on Sunday might well be decided on batters who can play spin better. With several world-class players in the ranks of both teams, it can go either way on the big day. With the final still about twenty-four hours away from commencement, let us have a look at five countries with the highest numbers of players in the IPL final barring India.

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#1 Afghanistan (three players)

The Afghan fraternity has three representatives for the IPL final but only one of them is expected to be part of the playing XI. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is expected to open the innings for the Knight Riders in the absence of Philip Salt who took the tournament by storm during the league phase.

Allah Ghazanfar is another Afghan player part of the KKR set up. The teenage sensation hasn't quite managed to break into the playing XI yet and is expected to warm the benches in the final as well. Fazalhaq Farooqi is part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad outfit but hasn't played a game this season.

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#2 Australia (three players)

Three big Australian names will be up fighting it out in the all-important clash. While the World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins will look to lead SRH to their second IPL title, Mitchell Starc, the KKR speedster will look to make a match-winning impact in the final. Cummins has been an inspirational captain and the decision to hand him the captaincy has benefited SRH big time.

Leading from the front, Pat Cummins bowled the tough overs and took the responsibility with both hands. He has bagged 17 wickets in 15 games so far and also chipped in with some vital contributions. Meanwhile, his seam bowling partner in the Australia team, Mitchell Starc has had an indifferent season so far.

Starting off pretty poorly this season, Starc slowly gained in confidence and kept his best for the first qualifier. He rattled Travis Head on the second delivery of the match and made a massive inroad into the SRH line-up. Coming to Travis Head, he has been an integral member of the SunRisers squad in changing their style of play.

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#3 West Indies (three players)

Sunil Narine and Andre Russell are the two West Indian players who have been integral members of the Kolkata Knight Riders for more than a decade. The domination of KKR has boiled down to how these two have fared in the competition.

Sunil Narine took his batting to a whole new level in this edition. Being elevated as the opener, Narine expressed himself from ball one, but the consistency made his contribution very special. He was challenging the orange cap list for a while and has also bagged some crucial wickets.

Meanwhile, Andre Russell's all-round contribution at different junctures of the game has been pivotal for KKR. He has bowled regularly in this edition which has provided an ideal balance to the side. Barring these two, Sherfane Rutherford is another West Indian part of the KKR squad who is yet to play a game.

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#4 South Africa (three players)

While the Kolkata Knight Riders have three representatives from West Indies, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have three representatives from South Africa. Aiden Markram, the former captain of the Sunrisers has been an important member of the squad and will look to make a significant impact in the final.

Meanwhile, Heinrich Klaasen is by far the most important batter of the Sunrisers outfit. Arguably the greatest T20 batter currently, Klaasen has been a class apart and his six-hitting abilities at any stage of the innings have made SRH the threat they are, especially in the middle overs. Marco Jansen, the left-arm pacer from South Africa is also expected to play a role in the final.

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#5 Sri Lanka (two players)

The two Sri Lankan representatives from the IPL final is Dushmantha Chameera and Vijaykanth Viyaskanth. Chameera has just played a solitary game and is expected to warm the benches in the final as well. He was brought in when Mitchell Starc was going through a tough time.

Meanwhile, the young leg spinner Vijaykumar Viyaskanth has got the taste of IPL while playing for the Sunrisers. He has played three matches so far, bagging just a solitary wicket in the process. However, he has been tight with his lengths and has a pretty decent economy of 8.60.