“Do it in Qualifier 1.” Those were the words a determined Kolkata Knight Riders players kept telling themselves going into Tuesday’s clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Australian Mitchell Starc set the tone with his fiery opening spell of 3/22 that included the prized scalp of Travis Head. Then unbeaten fifties from Venkatesh Iyer and captain Shreyas Iyer crushed the Sunrisers and earned the Knight Riders their fourth IPL final berth.

Such a smooth ride to the decider does call for a celebration before focusing on Sunday’s grand finale in Chennai. After returning from the stadium, the Knights had a late-night private gathering at the team hotel where principal owner Shah Rukh Khan, along with co-owners Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta, congratulated Shreyas and his teammates as well as the entire coaching/support staff for a thumping win in Qualifier 1.

Ahmedabad: Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan waves at the crowd as he celebrates his team's win in the Qualifier 1 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad PTI

There was also a congratulatory cake cutting for Starc for his brilliance with the ball.

According to a post on Cricket Australia’s Instagram handle on Wednesday, Starc has now dismissed Head five times, while the batter has so far managed just one run off his Australia teammate’s bowling.

“It was Suhana Khan’s birthday (on Wednesday) too. So for that also, there was cake cutting,” a KKR insider told The Telegraph.

“...Must say our players have come back strongly when it really mattered,” Juhi said at the team hotel on Wednesday, adding there’s some relief in the camp for not having to wait for Friday’s Qualifier 2 in Chennai for a place inthe final. .

Rajasthan Royals will have to play Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 on Friday to decide who meets the Knights at the Chepauk on Sunday.

Juhi went on to add: “In fact, yesterday (Tuesday), we were a little tense, because if we had lost, we had to play another game. That’s what we wanted to avoid. We just prayed we could win and straightaway make the final... that is always a huge morale-booster.

“Also, in 2012 and 2014 we had reached the final after winning Qualifier 1 both times. And then went on to win the crown. So, hope the same happens this time as well.”

In other words, there’s a sense of calm in the KKR camp on the road to the final.

The on-field stuff aside, the kind of bonding between the players and the franchise also appears to have had a role behind KKR’s success so far in this IPL.

For keeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the franchise is “family” to him.

“My mom is still sick. I went back home to Afghanistan and the call from here (KKR) was that Phil Salt was leaving. They called and messaged me, saying ‘Gurbaz, we need you.’ I said, ‘Yes, I will come’,” Gurbaz said.

“My mom is still in hospital, and I’m always talking to her. But this is also my family. I should manage both sides: my mom and my KKR family. It’s hard, it’s tough. Still, I need to manage it.”