Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) produced a dominant all-round performance to defeat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 65 runs in Match No.6 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 2.
Put in to bat first, SRH posted a massive total of 226/8 in their 20 overs, setting the tone early with a blistering opening partnership. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma came out all guns blazing, adding 82 runs in just 34 balls. Head smashed 46 off 21 deliveries, while Abhishek narrowly missed out on a half-century, scoring 48 off 21 balls with an array of boundaries and sixes.
However, SRH lost a bit of momentum in the middle overs as skipper Ishan Kishan departed for 14 and Aniket Verma managed only one run. The innings was then stabilized by Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who stitched together a crucial 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Klaasen anchored the innings with a well-crafted 52 off 35 balls, while Reddy added a valuable 39 to push the total beyond 220. For KKR, Blessing Muzarabani impressed with the ball, claiming 4/41, while Vaibhav Arora chipped in with two wickets.
Chasing a daunting 227, KKR got off to a flying start thanks to Finn Allen, who hammered 28 runs off just seven balls. Despite the early momentum, wickets fell regularly, preventing any meaningful partnership from developing. Angkrish Raghuvanshi fought hard with a quickfire 52 off 29 balls, while Rinku Singh contributed 35 runs.
The rest of the batting lineup struggled to make an impact, and KKR were eventually bowled out for 161. SRH’s bowling unit delivered a disciplined effort, with Jaydev Unadkat leading the charge with figures of 3/21. Eshan Malinga and Reddy supported well with two wickets each, sealing a comprehensive win.
With this victory, SRH moved to sixth place on the points table with one win from two matches, while KKR slipped to ninth, still searching for their first win of the season.
Here are the most important stats from Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad:
- Sunil Narine has the lowest batting average (10.9) against SRH in IPL history.
- KKR’s score of 74/3 in the powerplay is their highest-ever powerplay total against SRH in the IPL.
- Finn Allen smashed 24 runs in the first over, which is the third-highest runs scored in the opening over of an IPL innings.
- SRH’s total of 226/8 in Kolkata stands as their third-highest score against KKR in IPL history.
- Blessing Muzarabani recorded figures of 4/41, the second-best bowling performance for KKR against SRH in the IPL.
- The 82-run partnership between Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy is SRH’s second-highest stand for the fifth wicket or lower in IPL history.
- Rinku Singh holds the record for most catches for KKR in IPL history with 41 fielding dismissals.
- Abhishek Sharma is now second on the list of most sixes for SRH in IPL history, with 101 maximums.
- Ajinkya Rahane became the 11th player to feature in 200 IPL matches, marking a significant career milestone.
