Both teams faced the same foes twice and triumphed with the same swagger—proving history loves a good sequel
Some stories in cricket are thrilling. Others are strange. But every now and then, a story repeats itself—almost word for word. That’s what happened in two IPL seasons, two years apart. The finals of 2022 and 2024 looked eerily familiar. The teams? Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders. The opponents? Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad. And the result? The exact same margin as their Qualifier 1 wins. Titans won both games by seven wickets. KKR won theirs by eight wickets. It has the same script and the same scenes.
The warning signs were clear in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2024. KKR didn’t just beat SRH—they dismantled them. Mitchell Starc was on fire. Travis Head, gone first ball. Reddy and Shahbaz have gone in the same over. SRH stumbled to 159. It never looked enough. KKR raced to 63 in the powerplay. Gurbaz and Narine fell, but Shreyas and Venkatesh Iyer took control. They stitched together a 97-run stand. Calm, brutal, efficient. KKR chased it down in just 13.4 overs. Win by eight wickets. Job done.
Five days later, in the grand finale, history repeated itself—almost too perfectly. KKR faced SRH again. And this time, they went one better. The bowlers were ruthless. A near-unplayable Starc delivery bowled Abhishek Sharma. Travis Head fell for a golden duck—again. SRH collapsed to just 113, the lowest total in an IPL final. Russell took 3 for 19, Starc 2 for 14. The chase was a walk in the park. Venkatesh Iyer smashed 52* off 26 balls. KKR reached the target with 57 balls to spare, winning by—you guessed it—eight wickets.
In IPL 2022, Gujarat Titans were the new kids on the block. But they played like seasoned champions. In Qualifier 1, they met Rajasthan Royals. Royals posted 188, thanks to Buttler’s 89. It looked like a tough chase. But Titans weren’t fazed. Saha fell early, but Wade and Gill steadied things. Then came David Miller. Calm, powerful, precise. He ended the match with three consecutive sixes off Prasidh Krishna. A 68* masterclass. Titans cruised to victory with three balls remaining—a seven-wicket win. Statement made.
The final was in Ahmedabad, the Titans’ fortress. And it was the same opponent—Rajasthan Royals. This time, the Royals could only manage 130 for 9. Hardik Pandya led from the front with 3 for 17. Kishore chipped in. The Royals crumbled. Titans didn’t rush. They lost Saha and Wade again but never looked under pressure. Hardik added 34. Gill remained unbeaten on 45. Miller played finisher once more with 32*. With 11 balls left, Gujarat crossed the line. They won by seven wickets, just like before. The script had been followed—line by line.
What are the odds? In two separate seasons, two teams—one experienced, one brand new—replayed their Qualifier victories in the final. Same rival. It's the same winning margin. Titans ruled 2022 with their seven-wicket calm. KKR stormed 2024 with eight-wicket authority. In a tournament known for its unpredictability, these finals were shockingly symmetrical. It’s rare for cricket to offer perfect parallels. But when it does, it leaves behind a story that feels like fiction—but is all too real.
