The Sunrisers Hyderabad registered their first win of the season as they defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. SRH put on a huge target of 226 runs at the end of their 20 overs, largely thanks to a solid start from their opening duo.
Batting first, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head gave the visitors a blistering start. Sharma scored 48 runs off 21 balls, while Head scored 46 runs in 21 balls. After both the openers were dismissed, Heinrich Klassen stabilised the innings, scoring 52 runs of 35 balls.
The South African, along with Nitish Kumar Reddy, ended SRH`s innings with a bang, taking their team to 226 runs at the end of their innings. For KKR, Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 wickets, including 2 in the final over.
KKR start strong but falter in the end
After a strong start to the innings, Kolkata Knight Riders faltered in the last few overs of the powerplay and scored 74 runs for the loss of 3 wickets, chasing Sunrisers Hyderabad`s total of 226 runs.
Kolkata Knight Riders` opener Finn Allen started his innings with a bang, scoring 25 runs in the first over. The Kiwi star hit his first six balls for boundaries as he raced to 28 runs in 6 balls before being caught and bowled by Harsh Dubey.
The run flow slowed down after Allen`s departure, and captain Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed soon as Jaydev Unadkat picked up his maiden wicket of the season. Cameron Green and Angkrish Raghuvanshi were both run out, hurting KKR`s chances of a successful run chase.
Rinku Singh looked in fine touch as he tried to guide KKR to a victory. The KKR vice captain scored a fighting 35 runs in 24 balls, but it was too little too late. The hosts fell short of the target by 65 runs and have now lost both of their opening two matches of the season.
SRH became the second team, after Delhi Capitals last night, to win an away game this season. SRH will face LSG next, while KKR will go against PBKS at the Eden Gardens.
