Fast bowler Mitchell Starc returned figures of 2-14 to help Kolkata Knight Riders thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets to clinch their third IPL title in the Sunday final.

Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs on Friday to set up an IPL final against Kolkata Knight Riders, as spinner Shahbaz Ahmed starred with three wickets.

Kohli, 35, has led the Twenty20 tournament's batting charts with 741 runs, including a century and five fifties, but failed to inspire his team to the finish in a roller-coaster season.

"I've seen a lot of reports about it,” Ponting told the ICC. “Normally these things pop up on social media before you even know about them, but there were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it," said Ponting.

Bengaluru and Kohli extend their wait for a first IPL title. Rajasthan will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last play-off on Friday to decide Kokata Knight Riders' opponent in the final on May 26.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz left his hospitalised 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.

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.

The two highest-priced players in the IPL -- Australia teammates Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc -- will go head-to-head Tuesday for a place in the final as the cash-rich Twenty20 league enters the playoffs.

Fraser-McGurk smashed 330 runs in nine appearances for the Delhi Capitals, sparking a media campaign to have him included in the squad for next month's showpiece in the United States and Caribbean.

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Cummins cost $2.5 million at auction, a record which stood briefly until Kolkata Knight Riders then paid $2.98 million for fast bowler Starc.

"As you can see jersey still fits so if they need an extra man, I can be the impact player. It is good to see the fans. RCB forever, I will forever be an RCB fan," Gayle, the RCB Hall of Fame, said in a video posted by RCB on X.

When Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman took part in his first T20 World Cup, he was still in his first year in international cricket. He came into the 2016 T20 World as a prodigious talent, having already bamboozled some of the biggest stars in world cricket.

Sunrisers Hyderabad ended the IPL league stage in second behind table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders after they beat Punjab Kings by four wickets on Sunday.

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman recalled the time when he did not realise who ‘Fizz’ was during the initial stage of his international career.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis showered praise on the team's middle order after they grabbed the final playoff spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) following a stunning turnaround in the tournament.

Manchester City go into their last match against West Ham with a two-point lead, knowing that victory would secure the title for a unprecedented fourth successive season.

"What a night! Such a great atmosphere," player of the match Du Plessis, who did a lap of honour with his team for the home fans, said.

As the team hurtled from one defeat to another, fans started booing Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans in the last two seasons, even in their home matches at the Wankhede Stadium.

Nicholas Pooran starred in Lucknow Super Giants' 18-run victory over pre-tournament favourites Mumbai Indians in the last game of a disappointing Indian Premier League season for both teams Friday.

Young Australian batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk has a long career ahead despite missing out on a T20 World Cup berth, according to his IPL team director Sourav Ganguly.