Kolkata: Dominant bowling performances from Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakravarthy propelled the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to an impressive 80-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
This victory marks a turning point for KKR, who now hold a record of two wins and two losses, placing them fifth in the standings. In contrast, SRH finds themselves at the bottom with just one win and three losses.
In their pursuit of 201 runs, SRH faced a disastrous start, losing their top three batsmen—Travis Head (4), Abhishek Sharma (2), and Ishan Kishan (2)—to the bowling of Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana, leaving them at a precarious 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 off Vaibhav in the fifth over.
After six overs, SRH was at 33/3, with Nitish on 19* and Kamindu on 5*. Kamindu sought to relieve the pressure by hitting a four and a six against Andre Russell in the following over, but Russell ultimately dismissed Nitish, who was caught by Sunil Narine at long-on for 19 runs off 15 balls, including two fours and a six. SRH's score then stood at 44/4 in 6.4 overs.
Kamindu aimed to attack Narine but fell to a simple catch by Anukul Roy after a half-hearted pull, scoring 27 runs off 20 balls, which included one four and two sixes. SRH was now at 66/5 in 9.3 overs.
Aniket Verma, who had been a standout performer for SRH in the previous match, was dismissed for a mere six runs by Varun Chakravarthy, leaving SRH at 75/6 in 10.4 overs.
SRH's situation deteriorated rapidly as they lost three wickets for just 29 runs, with Varun Chakravarthy claiming two of those dismissals. This collapse included their last glimmer of hope, Klaasen, who was out for 33 runs off 21 balls, featuring two fours and two sixes.
KKR ultimately bowled out SRH for a mere 120 runs in 16.4 overs, securing an impressive victory by 80 runs.
Vaibhav (3/29) and Varun (3/22) emerged as the standout bowlers for KKR. Andre Russell contributed with figures of 2/21, while Harshit and Rana each took one wicket.
In their match at Eden Gardens on Thursday, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) set a formidable total of 200/6 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), largely due to a powerful finish from Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh. Their vital partnership of 91 runs helped KKR surpass the 200-run threshold after a challenging start.
Batting first, KKR encountered difficulties early on, with Quinton de Kock dismissed for just 1 run by SRH captain Pat Cummins. Sunil Narine followed shortly, scoring only 7 runs, which left KKR struggling at 16/2 within the first 2.3 overs.
However, captain Ajinkya Rahane and young talent Angkrish Raghuvanshi stabilized the innings with a significant 81-run partnership. Rahane played an assertive innings, scoring 38 off 27 balls, including four sixes and a four, before being dismissed by Zeeshan Ansari.
Raghuvanshi continued his impressive form, achieving his second IPL fifty with a score of 50 off 32 balls, featuring five fours and two sixes. His dismissal at 12.4 overs left KKR at 106/4, increasing the pressure on the middle order.
As KKR appeared uncertain about reaching 200 runs, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh took control. Iyer, who had initially struggled, found his stride and smashed a rapid 60 runs off 28 balls, marking his third consecutive fifty against SRH. His innings included seven boundaries and three sixes, providing crucial momentum for the home team.
Rinku Singh delivered a strong performance, remaining not out with 32 runs from 17 balls, including four fours and a six. His partnership of 91 runs with Iyer proved pivotal for KKR, allowing them to gain momentum during the final overs.
Iyer's explosive innings concluded in the last over when Harshal Patel claimed his wicket, but by that point, KKR had already set a formidable target. Although Andre Russell had little impact with the bat, his presence was not necessary due to the dynamic finish provided by Iyer and Rinku.
The bowlers from SRH had a varied performance, with wickets distributed among them. Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari, Harshal Patel, and Kamindu Mendis each took one wicket, but they found it challenging to control KKR's aggressive late-game 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).
