Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Highlights, IPL 2025:
The 15th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 saw Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confront Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). On April 3rd, at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata emerged victorious by a commanding 80 runs. Sunrisers had a challenging target of 201 runs but toppled at just 120, marking their largest defeat by margin in IPL history. Previously, their worst loss was against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk last year, losing by 78 runs.
Kolkata Knight Riders secured their second win of the season while Sunrisers Hyderabad faced their third consecutive defeat. Before this match, Kolkata had overcome Rajasthan Royals (RR) but fell short against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI). Meanwhile, Hyderabad started with a victory over Rajasthan but lost matches to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Delhi Capitals (DC), and now another defeat stung them.
Chasing the target, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a rocky start, losing three wickets during the powerplay. Impact substitute Travis Head (4) was sent back by Kolkata's impact player Vaibhav Arora in the very first over. In the following over, Harshit Rana took down Abhishek Sharma (2), and soon Arora dismissed Ishan Kishan (2), intensifying Hyderabad's troubles.
Nitish Kumar Reddy (19) had high expectations for a good innings, but Andre Russell made sure to end his stay. Debutant Kamindu Mendis (27) showcased some riveting shots before Sunil Narine's spin got the better of him. Subsequently, Aniket Verma (6) fell prey to mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, with Sunrisers at 75 for 6.
Source: aajtak
Explosive batter Heinrich Klaasen was dismissed by Vaibhav Arora, extinguishing any flicker of hope for Sunrisers. Klaasen scored 33 runs off 21 balls, hitting 2 fours and 2 sixes. The final wickets to tumble were those of Pat Cummins (14), Simarjeet Singh (0), and Harshal Patel (3). Varun Chakravarthy claimed both Cummins and Simarjeet, while Russell nabbed Harshal Patel. For KKR, Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora both shone with three wickets each, while Andre Russell claimed two, and Harshit Rana and Sunil Narine bagged one each.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Scorecard: (120/10, 16.4 overs)
Fall of Wickets:
4-1 (Travis Head, 0.2 over), 9-2 (Abhishek Sharma, 1.6 over), 9-3 (Ishan Kishan, 2.1 over), 44-4 (Nitish Kumar Reddy, 6.4 over), 66-5 (Kamindu Mendis, 9.3 over), 75-6 (Aniket Verma, 10.4 over), 112-7 (Heinrich Klaasen, 14.4 over), 114-8 (Pat Cummins, 15.1 over), 114-9 (Simarjeet Singh, 15.2 over), 120-10 (Harshal Patel, 16.4 over)
Venkatesh Iyer's Blistering Knock, Raghuwanshi Fifty
In the match, Kolkata Knight Riders opted to bat first after losing the toss and scored 201 for 6. The start wasn’t great, with wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock (1) dismissed by opposing captain Pat Cummins in the second over. Following him, the other opener Sunil Narine (7) succumbed to Mohammed Shami. However, Ankrish Raghuwanshi joined forces with captain Ajinkya Rahane to stabilize KKR with a 81-run partnership for the third wicket.
Zeeshan Ansari broke this partnership by getting Rahane out, who scored 38 off 27 balls with four sixes and a four. Shortly after, Ankush Raghuwanshi completed his fifty in 30 balls but was out soon after, taken by debutant Kamindu Mendis. Raghuwanshi scored 50 off 32 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes. At his dismissal, KKR stood at 106 for 4.
From there, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh forged a blistering 91-run stand in 41 balls, steering Kolkata to a formidable total. Iyer scored a remarkable 60 off just 29 balls, featuring seven fours and three sixes, reaching his fifty in only 25 balls. Harshal Patel dismissed him in the final over, during which Andre Russell was run-out for 1. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami, Kamindu Mendis, and Harshal Patel each secured a wicket.
Kolkata Knight Riders Scorecard: (200/6, 20 overs)
Fall of Wickets:
14-1 (Quinton de Kock, 1.5 overs), 16-2 (Sunil Narine, 2.3 overs), 97-3 (Ajinkya Rahane, 10.6 overs), 106-4 (Ankush Raghuwanshi, 12.4 overs), 197-5 (Venkatesh Iyer, 19.3 overs), 200-6 (Andre Russell, 20 overs)
In this match, Sunrisers Hyderabad introduced Sri Lankan all-rounder Kamindu Mendis into their playing-11, marking his IPL debut. Fast bowler Simarjeet Singh also returned to the playing-11. Travis Head came on as an impact sub. Kolkata made a change too, replacing Spencer Johnson with all-rounder Moeen Ali.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing-11:
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Kamindu Mendis, Simarjeet Singh, Pat Cummins (captain), Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari.
Impact Sub:
Travis Head
Kolkata Knight Riders Playing-11:
Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Ankush Raghuwanshi, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Ramandeep Singh.
Impact Sub:
Vaibhav Arora
Kolkata Knight Riders have historically held a dominant position against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Out of the 29 encounters between the two teams, Kolkata Knight Riders have clinched victory in 20 of them, with Sunrisers Hyderabad winning 9. Last season, Kolkata Knight Riders swept all three matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad, including the ultimate clash.
Hyderabad Vs Kolkata H2H
Total Matches: 29 Kolkata Wins: 20 Hyderabad Wins: 9
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad:
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (captain), Wiaan Mulder, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Zeeshan Ansari, Adam Zampa, Sachin Baby, Ishaan Malinga, Simarjeet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Rahul Chahar, Atharva Taide.
Kolkata Knight Riders Squad:
Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Ankush Raghuwanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell, Mayank Markande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Chetan Sakariya.
