Kolkata Knight Riders had a tough outing as they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 65 runs in their IPL clash at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
KKR's chase
Chasing a big target, KKR didn’t get the start they needed. Finn Allen came out attacking and scored a quick 28 off just seven balls, but he was dismissed early by Harsh Dubey in the second over. Captain Ajinkya Rahane also couldn’t stay long and was bowled by Jaydev Unadkat after scoring only eight runs.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi and vice-captain Rinku Singh tried to bring KKR back into the game with knocks of 52 and 35. However, Raghuvanshi was run out by Eshan Malinga, and Rinku was caught off Unadkat, which ended KKR’s hopes.
SRH's batting
Earlier, SRH posted a strong total of 226 for 8. Heinrich Klaasen led the way with a solid 52, while Travis Head scored a quick 46 off 21 balls and Abhishek Sharma made 48 off 21. The opening pair added 82 runs in just 34 balls, putting KKR under pressure right from the start.
KKR's bowling
KKR’s bowlers struggled early as SRH scored at a fast rate. But things changed when Kartik Tyagi dismissed Head. Soon after, Blessing Muzarabani picked up two quick wickets, removing Ishan Kishan and Abhishek. From a strong position, SRH suddenly lost momentum and wickets started falling.
Spinner Anukul Roy also made an impact by dismissing Aniket Verma, as SRH lost three wickets in quick time. At that stage, Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy steadied the innings with a good partnership and prepared for a strong finish.
Vaibhav Arora picked up important wickets towards the end, including Reddy for 39, but Klaasen’s half-century ensured SRH crossed the 220 mark.
Muzarabani was the standout bowler for KKR, finishing with 4 for 41. He also picked up Klaasen and Shivang Kumar in the final over.
SRH started aggressively, with Head quickly shifting gears after a slow start. He hit boundaries all around the ground, taking advantage of the conditions. Although there was a chance early on, Rahane couldn’t hold on to a difficult catch.
While Head dominated, Abhishek also joined in later, attacking Varun Chakravarthy with a flurry of boundaries. SRH raced to 71 without loss in just five overs.
Kishan also played his part with some quick boundaries, but the turning point came when Muzarabani was brought into the attack. Sharp fielding by Rinku made a big difference, as he took a good catch to dismiss Kishan and was involved again when Abhishek got out.