Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Rahul Tripathi said it was tough since he had to wait for his opportunity to come in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Sunrisers Hyderabad will lock horns against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final match of the IPL 2024 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. Rahul played 5 matches for the Sunrisers in the IPL 2024, scoring 156 runs at a strike rate of 152.94. He hammered 17 fours and 6 sixes in the ongoing season.

Speaking to JioCinema, Rahul said he always thought about how he would help his side even at a time when he was benched. The 33-year-old added his main motive was to contribute to the team whenever he got the opportunity.

“I had to wait for my opportunity, it was tough. Even when I wasn’t playing, I was thinking about how I would help the team when the opportunity came my way and how I could put my best foot forward. That thinking helped me. My preparation was to contribute positively whenever I got an opportunity,” Rahul said.

The Kolkata-based franchise ended their league stage on the top of the standings with nine wins, three losses and two no results, giving them 20 points. They earned a direct spot in the final after beating SRH in the qualifier one. On the other hand, Pat Cummins’ SRH got a second chance at the title in qualifier two against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and they made the most of it by defeating the Men in Pink by 36 runs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (Wk), Abdul Samad, Pat Cummins (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Jaydev Unadkat, Shahbaz Ahmed, Umran Malik, Sanvir Singh, Glenn Phillips, Mayank Markande, Mayank Agarwal, Washington Sundar, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav, Jhatavedh Subramanyan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Akash Maharaj Singh.

IPL 2024: Rahul Tripathi and Shah Rukh Khan during the KKR vs SRH match.© Twitter

Mitchell Starc stuck thrice in the powerplay as Kolkata Knight Riders bowled out Sunrisers Hyderabad to 159 in Qualifier 1 of the IPL here on Tuesday. Rahul Tripathi top-scored for SRH with 55 off 35 balls while Heinrich Klaasen smashed 32 off 21 balls. The 62-run stand between Tripathi and Klaasen was the lone positive in an otherwise underwhelming batting effort.

Tripathi was run out after a superb effort by Andre Russell. HIs reaction after getting out has gone viral.

Well Played Champ Rahul Tripathi.

Not only survived the fiery spell of Starc but also took us back into the game from nowhere. pic.twitter.com/VDzdEBvTVv

— Rampy (@RiserTweex) May 21, 2024

MOST HEARTBREAKING PICTURE OF THE DAY.

– Rahul Tripathi sitting in tears on the stairs. He’s absolutely devastated. You gave your best, Tripathi! pic.twitter.com/bV1nhkzcjs

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 21, 2024

Rahul Tripathi in tears after getting out…!!! pic.twitter.com/WrUbDpQCZe

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 21, 2024

Tripathi pic.twitter.com/Z3jOqcXWvA

— Pushkar (@musafir_hu_yar) May 21, 2024

IPL’s third highest run-getter Head was all over the place when he went for a wild heave against the lanky Australian, who got the ball nipping slightly away after pitching and knocking down the off and middle stumps to dismiss the batter for his second consecutive duck.

Starc then bounced out Reddy with wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz settling himself well under the ball for a simple grab.

Shahbaz was the next to depart as he chopped one onto his wickets looking to guide it down to the third man.

Starc’s opening spell of 3-0-22-3 gave KKR complete control of the proceedings as the other bowlers thrived in the situation to drive home the advantage.

Reduced to 39/3, SRH needed a counterattack and that came from Rahul Tripathi (55 off 35) but it was far from enough.

Tripathi soaked in pressure well to keep the boundaries flowing for SRH but he did not find enough support from the other end, beyond a 62-run stand for the fifth wicket with Heinrich Klaasen.

The burly South African, who had scored a vital 49 in the last match, did not go all out but played a crucial knock of 32, which came off 21 balls with three fours and a six until he found the man at deep midwicket off Varun Chakravarthy in the 11th over.

Facing the task of rebuilding again, there was no respite for the struggles that SRH had to endure when Tripathi was run out after a brilliant effort in the field from Andre Russell caught the SRH batter halfway through the pitch when there was perhaps no run on offer.

Abdul Samad hammered a six off his first ball but his resistance too did not last long enough and the last of the recognised SRH batters, impact player Sanvir Singh, was cleaned up by Sunil Narine (1/40) on the first ball he faced.

SRH skipper Pat Cummins played a crucial knock of 30 off 24 while also putting on a vital 33-run stand for the last wicket with Vijayakanth Viyaskanth to take SRH beyond the 150-mark.