Kolkata, April 4 (HS): In the 15th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 80 runs, thanks to the outstanding performances of Venkatesh Iyer and the bowlers. In the match played at Eden Gardens, KKR batted first and scored 200 runs in 20 overs, to which Hyderabad was all out for 120 runs in 16.4 overs. This marks Hyderabad’s largest defeat in terms of runs in IPL history.
Chasing a huge target of 201 runs, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a terrible start. Top-order batsmen Travis Head (4), Abhishek Sharma (2), and Ishan Kishan (2) were dismissed early. The middle order also failed to produce any significant innings. Nitish Reddy (19), Kamindu Mendis (27), and Heinrich Klaasen (33) scored small contributions, but it was not enough. Additionally, Aniket Verma (6) and captain Pat Cummins (14) also disappointed. SRH was all out for a score of 120 runs.
From KKR, Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakravarthy each took three wickets. Andre Russell achieved two successes. Harshit Rana and Sunil Narine each took one wicket.
Earlier, thanks to excellent innings from Venkatesh Iyer (60) and Angariks Raghuwanshi (50), Kolkata Knight Riders scored 200 runs in their allotted 20 overs. After losing the toss and opting to bat first, KKR had a very poor start. Both openers, Sunil Narine (7) and Quinton de Kock (1), returned to the pavilion with the score at just 16 runs. Captain Ajinkya Rahane (38) and Angariks Raghuwanshi (50) stabilized KKR with an 81-run partnership for the third wicket. Zeeshan Ansari broke this partnership by having Rahane caught by wicketkeeper Klaasen. Following this, Angariks completed his half-century and returned to the pavilion after giving a catch to Harshal Patel on Kamindu Mendis’s ball.
Thereafter, Venkatesh Iyer (60) and Rinku Singh (32*) added 91 runs for the fifth wicket. The two batsmen unleashed a flurry of boundaries, putting immense pressure on the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers. Iyer scored 21 runs in the 19th over of the innings bowled by Cummins. He hit a fifty in just 25 balls, and returned to the pavilion after being caught by Aniket off Patel’s ball in the final over. He scored 60 runs off 29 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes. In the last ball, Andre Russell (1) was run out, while Rinku Singh remained unbeaten with 32 runs off 17 balls, hitting four fours and one six.
For SRH, Mohammad Shami, Pat Cummins, Zeeshan Ansari, Harshal Patel, and Kamindu Mendis each secured one wicket.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
