Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) battled it out against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Thursday, April 3, in match 15 of the ongoing IPL 2025. Defending champions KKR clinched a clinical 80-run victory over SRH in a repeat of last season’s final.
Hyderabad won the toss and chose to field first. Kolkata lost their openers Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine early. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane teamed up with youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi to steady the ship for his side.
The two stitched together a crucial 81-run partnership for the third wicket. Raghuvanshi notched up his second IPL half-century, scoring 50 runs off 32 balls, while Rahane contributed 38 runs in 27 deliveries.
Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh upped the ante for KKR towards the back end. Iyer was the top scorer for the home side, amassing 60 runs in just 29 balls. Rinku also chipped in with a quick-fire cameo, remaining unbeaten on 32 runs off 17 deliveries.
The two left-handed batters added 91 runs in 41 balls for the fifth wicket, helping KKR register 200/6 in 20 overs. Mohammed Shami, Pat Cummins, Zeeshan Ansari, Harshal Patel, and Kamindu Mendis picked up one wicket each.
The SRH batters went down without a fight in the run chase. They lost wickets at regular intervals and Heinrich Klaasen was the only batter to cross the 30-run mark. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 33 runs in 21 balls.
For KKR, Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakaravarthy claimed three wickets apiece, and Andre Russell bagged two scalps. SRH were bundled out for just 120 and suffered their biggest defeat in the league’s history. Arora was adjudged the Player of the Match for his stunning bowling exploits.
With two wins from four outings, Kolkata are currently placed fifth in the IPL 2025 points table. Hyderabad, on the other hand, are languishing at the bottom spot with just one victory from four matches.
On that note, let’s take a look at three moments from the match that generated buzz among fans.
#1 Ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis bowls with different hands in same over
Sri Lankan all-rounder Kamindu Mendis confused the KKR batters with his ambidextrous bowling in the encounter. He was introduced into the attack in the 13th over of the KKR innings.
Mendis bowled left-arm finger spin against right-handed batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi, while he switched to right-arm off-spin when left-handed batter Venkatesh Iyer came on strike.
The 26-year-old bowling with two hands in the same over was a big talking point of the match. In the over, he also succeeded in taking the wicket of the well-set Raghuvanshi.
#2 Venkatesh Iyer takes Pat Cummins to the cleaners
Venkatesh Iyer looked in great touch with the bat and didn’t spare SRH captain Pat Cummins. The Australian fast bowler came to bowl the crucial 19th over.
Iyer dominated the proceedings with his attacking intent. The southpaw kicked off the over by sending the first ball for a four over the wicketkeeper’s head. Cummins followed it up with a slower delivery. The batter picked the change of pace and dispatched the ball for a six with a pull shot.
Cummins bowled back-to-back yorkers, but there was no respite from Iyer’s end as he hit two more fours. The SRH skipper ended up conceding 21 runs from the over.
#3 KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane takes a sharp catch to dismiss Ishan Kishan
KKR were off to a fantastic start with the ball, with SRH openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma back in the pavilion after the first two overs. Vaibhav Arora provided his team with another crucial breakthrough, sending back Ishan Kishan in the third over.
It was a full-length delivery and Kishan went for the cover drive. While he seemed to have a good connection, Ajinkya Rahane plucked out a stunning catch to end his knock.
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Edited by Arshit Garg
