Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stormed back to form with a commanding 80-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), handing them their biggest-ever defeat in the IPL by runs. After a forgettable outing in Mumbai, KKR bounced back at home by posting a strong 200 for 6. Vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer led the charge with a blazing 60 off 29 balls, supported by Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 32 off just 17 deliveries. The finishing duo added 78 runs in the last five overs after Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 81-run third-wicket stand laid the platform.
In reply, SRH’s much-hyped top order crumbled under the KKR pace attack. Vaibhav Arora dismissed Travis Head early, and Harshit Rana removed Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in quick succession. SRH were left reeling at 9 for 3 in just 13 balls — their second-worst start in IPL history. Klaasen top-scored with 33, but wickets kept tumbling. Arora returned to dismiss Klaasen, finishing with 3 wickets, while Russell and the spinners applied further pressure. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy combined to concede just 33 runs in five overs while taking two wickets. SRH were bowled out for 120, suffering their third consecutive defeat despite starting the season with a 286-run blitz.
Earlier, KKR lost Narine and de Kock cheaply again, but Rahane’s aggression and Raghuvanshi’s timing helped the side recover. Zeeshan Ansari impressed with tight bowling and dismissed Rahane for 38, but SRH’s fielding lapses, including a drop of Raghuvanshi on 43, proved costly. Venkatesh then unleashed a flurry of boundaries, reaching his fifty in 25 balls and sealing KKR’s dominant finish.
This win lifted KKR from the bottom to fifth on the table, while SRH, last season’s runners-up, slumped to the bottom, leaving major questions over their batting approach.
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