KKR collapse against SRH’s bowling brilliance, end season with heavy 110-run defeat

NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) endured a difficult outing on Sunday as they failed to chase down a mammoth target of 279 set by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, crashing to a 110-run defeat. The loss ended KKR’s season on a disappointing note, placing them eighth in the table with five wins, seven losses, and one no result. SRH, meanwhile, climbed to sixth with six wins, seven losses, and one no result.

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling attack was led by a trio of effective performers, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, and Harsh Dubey, all of whom picked up three wickets each to dismantle KKR’s batting line-up.

KKR began their chase with an energetic 37-run opening stand between Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine, with Narine doing the bulk of the scoring. The West Indian all-rounder smashed 31 off just 16 balls, including three boundaries and three sixes, before being cleaned up by Unadkat.

to wickets

Harsh Dubey making his presence felt

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Captain Ajinkya Rahane showed glimpses of elegance but was dismissed for 15 by Unadkat, while de Kock struggled for fluency, managing just 9 off 13 balls before falling to Eshan Malinga. Rinku Singh mirrored de Kock’s score and was removed by impact player Harsh Dubey. Andre Russell was out for a golden duck on the very next ball, also falling to Dubey, leaving KKR reeling at 70/5.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi tried to stabilize the innings but was out for 14 off 18, with Malinga picking up the wicket. KKR brought up their 100 in 13.3 overs, but the game had already slipped away.

Ramandeep Singh added 13 before becoming another victim of Dubey, while Manish Pandey’s 37 provided some late resistance before Unadkat returned to pick up his third wicket. Vaibhav Arora was run out after a casual approach, and Harshit Rana’s 34 off 21 was the final bit of fight before Malinga dismissed him to wrap up the innings at 168 in 18.4 overs.

Unadkat ended with figures of 3/24, Malinga with 3/31, and Dubey with 3/34, as SRH’s disciplined bowling ensured KKR never looked in control. The result underlined KKR’s inconsistency this season, with their final match summing up a campaign that lacked cohesion, execution, and intent, especially in crucial moments.

Earlier, a hundred from Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Heinrich Klaasen and an fifty from Travis Head powered SRH to 278/3 in 20 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 68th match of the Indian Premier League. This is the third-highest total by any team in IPL history. Klaasen also registered the fastest hundred of the ongoing IPL in 37 balls.

Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat. Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head opened the innings for SRH. The duo counterattacked the KKR bowlers as they stormed past 50 runs in the 4th over. Abhishek Sharma 10 (8), Travis Head 38 (16).

SRH finished their power-play on 79-0, in the following over the veteran spinner Sunil Narine removed Sharma for 32 (16), studed with four fours and two sixes, Heinrich Klaasen joined Head in the middle. Hyderabad crossed the 100 runs mark in the 8th over, Head in the same over crossed his third fifty in the season. SRH stormed past 150 in the 11th over.

Klaasen completed his fifty in just 17 balls, hitting KKR bowlers all around the park. After 12 overs, SRH were 174/1. Head was removed by Narine for 76(40) including six fours and six sixes. Ishan Kishan joined Klaasen in the middle. Narine now has the most wickets in T20 for a team (210).

Klaasen smashed two sixes off Narine in the 15th over, taking the score past the 200-run mark. The duo of Klassen and Kishan brought up their 50-run stand in just 21 balls. SRH completed 250 runs in the 18th over. Sunil Narine (2/42) was the pick of the bowlers for KKR, and Vaibhav Arora took a wicket.

Brief score: Sunrisers Hyderabad 278/3 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 105*, Travis Head 76; Sunil Narine 2/42) vs. Kolkata Knight Riders 168 in 20 overs (Manish Pandey 37, Harshit Rana 34; Jaydev Unadkat 3/24) (ANI)