"I'm very confident that KKR are going to win" - Matthew Hayden ahead of IPL 2024 final

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden believes the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will beat the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final to lift their third title. The final will take place at the Chepauk on Sunday, May 26.

Having played for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Hayden understands the surface at the Chepauk pretty well. He believes the spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy will be the point of difference in helping Kolkata seal the win.

Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the final, here's what Matthew Hayden had to say:

"I'm very confident that KKR are going to win here, as having a few days off, having the ability to watch this match, and understanding what the strengths and weaknesses of Sunrisers Hyderabad are will be helpful. KKR, having defeated SRH, is going to have great momentum. I also just feel that the quality spin of Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy on the red clay is going to make a difference."

Kolkata Knight Riders also have great memories of the Chepauk as they beat CSK in the IPL 2012 final to win their maiden title.

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Kevin Pietersen on KKR having already beaten SRH

Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen was also present in the discussion and reminisced on how comprehensively the Knight Riders beat SRH in Qualifier 1. He expressed disappointment in the SunRisers seemingly giving up early by handing the ball to Travis Head, who was smashed to all parts by Shreyas Iyer to seal the win.

Pietersen said:

"The way they just finished that game off, Pat Cummins gave Travis Head the ball, and Shreyas Iyer just went bang, bang, bang. It'll give KKR a lot of confidence going into the finals knowing that they've already beaten SRH a couple of days ago. So it's going to be really hard for the Sunrisers to get up."

However, Pietersen also mentioned how the SunRisers franchise have recently tasted success with the back-to-back SA20 titles. He reckons that winning mentality might just push them to produce their best in the final.