IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad Beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 Runs

Sunrisers Hyderabad secured their first win of IPL 2026 by bowling Kolkata Knight Riders out for 161 in 16 overs to win by 65 runs on April 2 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. 

It was a complete performance. SRH were ruthless with the bat as early as the first over, then settled the score in the middle, and returned with the ball with a vengeance to complete the chase way before the 20-over mark. KKR had won the toss and chose to field. However, it did not go their way.

KKR Vs SRH Match Scorecard

Head and Abhishek Give SRH a Blazing Start

In 5.4 overs, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma scored 82 runs. Head made 46 off 21 balls, Abhishek 48 off 21. Neither made fifty, but the damage was inflicted. SRH were 84 for 1 post-six overs. 

Muzarabani also experimented with the short-ball strategy, but Abhishek continued to deliver him boundaries. Before Kartik Tyagi terminated the stand, Abhishek took 25 off Varun Chakravarthy’s single over.

Middle-Order Wobble, Then Klaasen Takes Charge

Muzarabani retaliated, sending Ishan Kishan and Abhishek back in three balls and leaving SRH with 118 for 4. Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy stabilised things in consolidation mode; 10 -14 overs had yielded a total of 37 runs. 

Then they both changed gears. Klaasen reverse-lapped Tyagi six times, Reddy threw one over the bowler’s head, and there followed back-to-back fours. On consecutive deliveries, Vaibhav Arora took out Reddy and Salil Arora, although Klaasen completed with 52 off 35 before he was dismissed in the 19th over. Dubey and Shivang Kumar drove SRH to 226. The only real threat SRH had was KKR’s Muzarabani, who took 4 for 41.

Finn Allen Starts Fast, But KKR Chase Falls Apart Early

Impacted substitute Finn Allen hit 28 off 7 balls and 25 off the first over single-handedly. He was caught and bowled by Harsh Dubey in the second over, and that was the key moment when the momentum of KKR was lost. Rahane, playing his 200th IPL match, fell on 8 out of 10 balls. Five overs later, KKR had 67 on the board, and the required rate was increasing.

Raghuvanshi’s Fifty Gives KKR Hope, Run-Out Ends It

Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit his fifty off 27 balls, and KKR hit 100 in nine overs together with Rinku Singh. Midway, they had to have 117 out of 10, difficult but not impossible. Raghuvanshi was then driven away. When Rinku reversed to a backward point, both the batters ran. Rinku halted. Raghuvanshi was not able to get back. 

Malinga shattered the stumps. From 120 for 4, KKR lost Anukul Roy for a duck, then Rinku for 35, then Narine for a 4-ball 12, then Ramandeep for 10. Unadkat took the two remaining wickets within two balls, and KKR were bowled out at 161 in the 16th over.

Nitish Kumar Reddy Wins Player of the Match

The 39 off 24 by Reddy came at the right time, and his 2 off 17 with the ball pushed down Rinku and Anukul Roy at the most crucial time. He won the official Player of the Match award. Jaydev Unadkat took three wickets in 21 and took the Purple Cap; the match ended with him taking two wickets within two balls. 

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What’s Next

With their first two IPL points in the bag, Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to carry this momentum forward when they face Lucknow Super Giants in Match 10 on April 5. A win of this nature, dominant with both bat and ball, gives SRH real confidence heading into the next game, and they will want to back it up quickly.

Kolkata Knight Riders need a response fast. They face the Punjab Kings in Match 12 on April 6 with two losses already on the board. Rahane has flagged the middle order as a concern, and with Cameron Green still not bowling, changes to the lineup look likely before they take the field again.

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