Venkatesh Iyer Shines as KKR Secures 80-Run Victory Over SRH in IPL Clash

Match Highlights: KKR vs SRH

Venkatesh Iyer silenced his critics with a stellar performance, scoring 60 runs off just 29 balls, leading the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to an impressive 80-run victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL on Thursday.

The innings was set up by Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who contributed a solid 50 runs from 32 balls, forming an 81-run partnership with captain Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 38 off 27. Iyer, alongside Rinku Singh, who remained unbeaten on 32 off 17, added fireworks with a 91-run stand off just 41 balls, propelling KKR to their season-high total of 200/6.

Vaibhav Arora made an early impact by dismissing the dangerous Travis Head for 4 and Ishan Kishan for 2 in consecutive overs, finishing with impressive figures of 3 wickets for 29 runs.

Harshit Rana also made his mark by taking out Abhishek Sharma for 2, leaving SRH struggling at 9/3 within just 2.1 overs. Andre Russell and Sunil Narine each contributed with a wicket, reducing SRH to 66/5 within the first 10 overs.

Varun Chakravarthy then dismantled the lower order, claiming two wickets in two deliveries, ending with figures of 3/22 as SRH collapsed to 120 all out in just 16.4 overs.

This victory marked a much-needed turnaround for KKR after suffering two losses in their initial three matches, while SRH faced their third consecutive defeat.

After a rocky start at 9/3, Nitish Reddy attempted to counterattack with a quick 19 runs, hitting two fours and a six off Arora. Kamindu Mendis also tried to revive the innings with 27 runs off 20 balls, but Russell quickly dismissed Reddy, and Narine took out Mendis in the 10th over, effectively sealing SRH's fate.

KKR's opening pair struggled again, with Quinton de Kock and Narine falling cheaply after Pat Cummins chose to bowl first. Rahane and Raghuvanshi steadied the innings, with Rahane hitting back-to-back sixes off Mohammed Shami and Cummins, helping KKR reach 53/2 after the powerplay.

Raghuvanshi displayed his talent with elegant drives and a remarkable reverse hit, reaching his fifty in just 30 balls. However, his innings ended when he was caught off a stunning diving catch by IPL debutant Mendis.

After a brief lull in scoring, Iyer broke the shackles with a pull shot off a beamer from Simarjeet Singh. Rinku followed suit with three consecutive boundaries off Harshal Patel, while Iyer unleashed a barrage of runs against Cummins in the 19th over, scoring 78 runs in the final five overs.

Final scores: KKR: 200/5 in 20 overs (Iyer 60, Raghuvanshi 50; Shami 1/29, Mendis 1/4); SRH: 120 all out in 16.4 overs (Klaasen 33; Arora 3/29, Chakravarthy 3/22).