Kolkata Knight Riders Triumph Over Sunrisers Hyderabad by 80 Runs

KKR Secures Dominant Victory at Eden Gardens

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 3: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) showcased a stellar performance, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 80 runs at Eden Gardens on Thursday, thanks to impressive bowling from Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakravarthy.

This victory puts KKR's campaign back on track, now holding two wins against two losses, placing them fifth in the standings. In contrast, SRH finds themselves at the bottom with just one win and three losses.

Chasing a target of 201 runs, SRH's start was disastrous as they lost their top three batsmen—Travis Head (4), Abhishek Sharma (2), and Ishan Kishan (2)—to Arora and Harshit Rana, leaving them at a dismal 9/3 within just 2.1 overs.

Nitish Kumar Reddy and Kamindu Mendis attempted to stabilize the innings, with Reddy hitting two fours and a six in the fifth over. By the end of the first six overs, SRH was at 33/3, with Nitish scoring 19* and Kamindu 5*.

Kamindu tried to relieve some pressure with a four and a six against Andre Russell, but Russell struck back, dismissing Nitish, caught by Sunil Narine at long-on for 19 runs off 15 balls. SRH was now at 44/4 in 6.4 overs.

Kamindu's aggressive approach against Narine backfired, as he was caught by Anukul Roy for 27 runs off 20 balls, leaving SRH at 66/5 in 9.3 overs.

Varun Chakravarthy then dismissed Aniket Verma, who had been a standout performer in the previous match, for just six runs, pushing SRH to 75/6 in 10.4 overs.

As SRH crumbled, they lost three more wickets for just 29 runs, with Varun claiming two of those, including their last hope, Klaasen, who scored 33 runs off 21 balls with two fours and two sixes.

Ultimately, KKR bowled out SRH for a mere 120 runs in 16.4 overs, securing an emphatic 80-run victory.

Vaibhav Arora (3/29) and Varun Chakravarthy (3/22) were the standout bowlers for KKR, while Andre Russell contributed with 2/21, and Harshit Rana added one wicket.

Earlier, KKR set a formidable total of 200/6, bolstered by a crucial 91-run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh after a shaky start.

Batting first, KKR faced early setbacks with Quinton de Kock dismissed for just 1 run by SRH captain Pat Cummins, and Sunil Narine following shortly after with only 7 runs, leaving KKR at 16/2 within the first 2.3 overs.

However, captain Ajinkya Rahane and young talent Angkrish Raghuvanshi steadied the innings with an essential 81-run partnership. Rahane played aggressively, scoring 38 runs off 27 balls, including four sixes and a boundary, before being dismissed by Zeeshan Ansari.

Raghuvanshi continued his impressive form, achieving his second IPL fifty with 50 runs off 32 balls, featuring five fours and two sixes. His dismissal at 12.4 overs left KKR at 106/4, increasing pressure on the middle order.

With KKR's chances of reaching 200 looking slim, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh took control. Iyer, who initially struggled, found his rhythm and scored a blistering 60 runs off 28 balls, marking his third consecutive fifty against SRH, including seven boundaries and three sixes.

Rinku Singh provided solid support with an unbeaten 32 runs off 17 balls, hitting four boundaries and a six. Their partnership shifted the momentum in KKR's favor, allowing them to accelerate in the final overs.

Iyer's explosive innings concluded in the last over when Harshal Patel dismissed him, but KKR had already established a competitive total. Andre Russell's batting contribution was minimal, but it was unnecessary due to the fireworks from Iyer and Rinku.

SRH's bowlers had a mixed performance, with wickets shared among Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari, Harshal Patel, and Kamindu Mendis, but they struggled to contain KKR's late surge.

Brief Scores: KKR: 200/6 (Venkatesh Iyer 60, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 50, Mohammed Shami 1/29) and SRH: 120 (Heinrich Klaasen 33, Kamindu Mendis 27, Varun Chakravarthy 3/22).