The talented Angkrish Raghuvanshi (59) crafted a measured half-century as Kolkata Knight Riders secured a seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sunday’s IPL encounter. Captain Ajinkya Rahane (43) partnered with Raghuvanshi for a crucial 84-run second-wicket partnership as KKR comfortably chased down SRH’s modest total of 165. Finn Allen provided an explosive start with a quickfire 29 from just 13 deliveries. Previously, Travis Head played a destructive knock of 61 from 28 balls, though KKR’s spin attack bowled effectively to limit SRH to 165. The mystery spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy (3/36) and Sunil Narine (2/31) dismantled SRH’s middle order with disciplined bowling performances. Raghuvanshi and Rahane partnership guides KKR to overcome SRH’s low total .
TOSS-
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat first.
PLAYING XI –
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI):
Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Cameron Green, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Varun Chakaravarthy
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI):
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD-
For the first time in six seasons, Sunil Narine received the new ball to open the bowling in the IPL. The strategy was clear – contain SRH’s explosive openers with deliveries turning away from them. This approach has been attempted by various teams this season, though not always with success – despite Abhishek Sharma previously falling to off-spinners on two occasions. Travis Head’s powerful pulls and Abhishek’s inside-out strokes meant the strategy didn’t yield the results KKR hoped for. Narine leaked 20 runs across his opening two overs.
Not entirely. Abhishek mishit a pull shot off Kartik Tyagi in the following over, bringing the opening stand to a close at 44. The fast bowler caused problems by generating considerable bounce from the pitch at rapid pace. While the openers maintained a strike rate above 11 per over, this fell short of their usual explosive scoring tempo when operating at peak form.
Nevertheless, Head dismantled Cameron Green for three boundaries in the fifth over, while Ishan Kishan targeted Tyagi in the sixth, helping SRH accumulate 71 runs during the Powerplay.
Travis Head benefited from considerable fortune in his previous outing when he sailed to fifty. However, luck wasn’t required this time as he reached the milestone by launching Chakaravarthy over the boundary straight down the ground. Though he eventually succumbed to the turning delivery when he mistimed a pull to deep midwicket, sufficient damage had been inflicted (28 runs from 12 balls against spin), earning acknowledgment from the bowler who congratulated him on his way back.
KKR had begun to reclaim momentum following Head’s departure. Klaasen’s innings, however, proved brief. After striking a boundary, he was dismissed at deep square leg by Rovman Powell, who completed a spectacular full-length diving catch. It ranked among the tournament’s finest catches and triggered a minor collapse.
After Klaasen’s exit, Tyagi, Chakaravarthy and Green delivered four economical overs, allowing just 22 runs while the spinner removed both Smaran Ravichandran and Aniket Verma. During this phase, Kishan appeared uncomfortable and struggled to adjust to the surface’s pace. A shot from Kishan struck Chakaravarthy’s leg during his third over, forcing him to leave the field before completing his allocation.
The tail’s dismissal came swiftly. SRH lost nine wickets for merely 60 runs across 60 deliveries, getting bowled out for 165. This represented the fourth-worst batting collapse in IPL history after a team had reached 100-plus runs while losing only one wicket. Despite the collapse, SRH opted against introducing an additional batsman as their Impact Substitute.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS-
Finn Allen attacked Pat Cummins for two boundaries and an equal number of sixes, as the fast bowler conceded 27 runs – his worst figures in T20 cricket. The opener fell on the final delivery, but his brief assault significantly reduced the required run rate and established the foundation for a straightforward chase.
On a pitch offering minimal assistance to bowlers and with the required rate well managed, Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi encountered few obstacles in their pursuit. Occasionally they were beaten, and sometimes edges flew narrowly beyond fielders’ reach. While not as commanding as desired – scoring slower through the middle overs than even SRH – the chase never appeared in jeopardy. Their 84-run partnership meant that by the time both departed, victory was merely a formality.
Brief Scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 165 in 19 overs [Travis Head 61 (28), Ishan Kishan 42 (29); Varun Chakaravarthy 3-36, Kartik Tyagi 2-30] lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 169/3 in 18.2 overs [Angkrish Raghuvanshi 59 (47); Sakib Hussain 1-17] by 7 wickets.
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