Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 3 (ANI): A stellar bowling performance by Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakravarthy powered Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a dominant 80-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
With this win, KKR bounced back in the IPL 2025 standings, now sitting at fifth place with two wins and two losses. Meanwhile, SRH’s struggles continue, as they remain at the bottom of the table with just one win in four games.
KKR’s Commanding Batting Performance
Batting first, KKR posted a formidable 200/6, thanks to a crucial 91-run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer (60 off 28 balls) and *Rinku Singh (32 off 17 balls)**.
- Early setbacks: KKR lost Quinton de Kock (1) and Sunil Narine (7) early, leaving them at 16/2 in 2.3 overs.
- Rahane and Raghuvanshi steady the innings:
- Ajinkya Rahane scored 38 off 27 balls (4 sixes, 1 four) before falling to Zeeshan Ansari.
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi continued his good form, hitting 50 off 32 balls with five fours and two sixes.
- Venkatesh Iyer’s explosive innings: Iyer smashed 60 off 28 balls (7 fours, 3 sixes), marking his third consecutive fifty against SRH.
- Rinku Singh’s finishing touch: A quickfire 32 off 17 balls* ensured KKR crossed the 200-run mark.
SRH Crumble in the Run-Chase
Chasing 201, SRH had a nightmarish start:
- Top-order collapse:
- Travis Head (4), Abhishek Sharma (2), and Ishan Kishan (2) were dismissed early, reducing SRH to 9/3 in just 2.1 overs.
- Middle-order fight:
- Nitish Kumar Reddy (19 off 15) and Kamindu Mendis (27 off 20) tried to stabilize the innings, but SRH never recovered.
- Heinrich Klaasen (33 off 21, 2 fours, 2 sixes) was the only real hope, but he too fell to Varun Chakravarthy.
- Final collapse:
- SRH were all out for just 120 in 16.4 overs, handing KKR a massive 80-run win.
Bowling Stars for KKR
- Vaibhav Arora: 3/29 (dismissing SRH’s top order)
- Varun Chakravarthy: 3/22 (breaking the middle-order resistance)
- Andre Russell: 2/21
- Harshit Rana: 1 wicket
Match Summary
KKR: 200/6 (Venkatesh Iyer 60, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 50, Mohammed Shami 1/29)
SRH: 120 all out (Heinrich Klaasen 33, Kamindu Mendis 27, Varun Chakravarthy 3/22)
KKR’s dominant batting and bowling performance brought them back in the race for playoffs, while SRH will have to regroup quickly to avoid further setbacks. (ANI)
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