Klaasen and Unadkat star as SRH crush KKR by 65 runs at Eden Gardens
Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma gave SRH the start they wanted, putting on 82 runs in 34 balls. Head smashed 46 off 21 deliveries before falling to Kartik Tyagi, and Abhishek carried on to 48 off 21 balls, hitting four sixes along the way. In doing so, Abhishek became the first Indian batter to hit 100 sixes for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, joining David Warner as the only other player to reach the milestone for the franchise.
Klaasen anchors the middle overs
After Ishan Kishan fell for 14 to Blessing Muzarabani, Heinrich Klaasen steadied the ship with a measured 52 off 35 balls. He shared an 82-run stand with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who struck 39 off 24. Muzarabani was the pick of the KKR bowlers with four wickets for 41 runs, dismissing Kishan, Abhishek, and then Klaasen in the final over. But the damage was done, and SRH closed on 226 for 8.
Allen blitz not enough for KKR
KKR's reply started in chaotic fashion. Finn Allen tore into David Payne in the first over, racing to 28 off just seven balls with the Knight Riders reaching 25 off the over. But Harsh Dubey struck immediately in the second, removing Allen with the score still at 25. Ajinkya Rahane managed just 8 before Jaydev Unadkat had him caught in the sixth over, extending a miserable sequence against the left-armer. It was the fifth time in seven innings that Unadkat has dismissed Rahane.
Raghuvanshi fights but KKR collapse
Angkrish Raghuvanshi played some beautiful shots in reaching 52 off 29 balls, and for a while his partnership with Rinku Singh threatened to give KKR a platform. But a terrible mix-up between the pair ended Raghuvanshi's innings, and from there the wheels came off. Nitish Kumar Reddy removed Rinku for 35 and then Anukul Roy for a duck in the same spell. Unadkat cleaned up the tail, finishing with 3 for 21, while Eshan Malinga chipped in with two wickets. KKR were bowled out for 161 in the 16th over.
Reddy named Player of the Match
Nitish Kumar Reddy's all-round contribution of 39 runs and 2 for 17 earned him the Player of the Match award. Debutant Shivang Kumar, the left-arm wrist-spinner who replaced Malinga in SRH's playing XI, had a quiet outing with the ball but hit a four off his first delivery in the IPL before being dismissed on the next ball.
The result leaves KKR at the bottom of the table with two losses from two matches. SRH move to 2 points, level with five other teams who have all won their single completed fixture so far.
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