Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pocketed their first points in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) with a clinical 65-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. Having already lost their respective first games, pressure was on both KKR and SRH. But it was Ishan Kishan’s side that went home with their pockets full.

Sent into bat first by home skipper Ajinkya Rahane, SRH were off to a flier with Travis Head (46) and Abhishek Sharma (48) putting 82 runs for the first wicket in just 5.4 overs. However it was Kartik Tyagi who broke the stand as Head holed out to compatriot Cameron Green.

Blessing Muzarabani opened his IPL account with a twin strike in the ninth over to pull the strings. He dismissed Ishan Kishan and Abhishek in the same over to turn the game into KKR’s head. Anukul Roy dismissed Aniket Verma to put KKR into driver’s seat.

Match-deciding partnership

Walking in after a dramatic middle-over slide from being 110/1 in eight overs to 118/4 in 9.2 overs, Heinrich Klaasen rebuilt the innings with calm assurance, ensuring the run rate never dipped out of control.

Even as boundaries dried up, the seasoned South African smartly rotated strike and ran hard between the wickets, keeping SRH around the 11-run mark alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy (39) in a match-deciding 82 runs alliance off 53 balls. The duo put on 50 run together in just 36 balls.

Although Muzarabani finished with 4/41 but it was Klaasen’s composed 52 off 35 balls that held Sunrisers Hyderabad’s innings together as they posted a competitive 226/8.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi, KKR’s lone bright light

In reply, KKR went off to a flier with Finn Allen smashing 25 runs off David Payne in the first over. But once he fell to Harsh Dubey giving a return catch, the innings unravelled quickly. KKR’s veteran skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s painful eight off 10 balls once again raised questions over the team’s bold leadership call, while partnerships failed to materialise.

Youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi showed promised with a breezy 52 (29 balls; 6×4, 2×6) but there was no support from the other end. Chasing the daunting target, KKR never found momentum as they were bundled out for 161 and slumped to their second successive defeat.

Vice-captain Rinku Singh offered brief resistance with a 35 off 25 balls, but his dismissal to Reddy ended any lingering hopes.

IPL 2026 points table after KKR vs SRH

With this win, KKR went down to languish at the ninth spot while SRH jumped upwards to sixth. Rajasthan Royals are leading the table, followed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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