Kolkata, Apr 3 (UNI) A scintillating knock from Venkatesh Iyer (60 off 29) and a composed fifty from young Angkrish Raghuvanshi (50 off 32) propelled Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a competitive 200/6 in their IPL clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens here on Thursday.
KKR recovered from early setbacks to post a strong total, thanks to aggressive stroke play in the middle and death overs. Ajinkya Rahane (38 off 27) played a stabilising role, while Rinku Singh’s late blitz (32 not out off 17) ensured the hosts reached the 200-run mark.
Iyer took the attack to the Hyderabad bowlers, hammering seven fours and three sixes in his blistering 60 off 29 balls. His late onslaught against Pat Cummins and Simarjeet Singh saw him find the boundary with ease. In the 18th over, he carved Cummins for back-to-back fours, including a daring scoop over the keeper. Just two balls earlier, he had dispatched a short delivery with a powerful pull over short leg, further asserting his dominance.
Rinku Singh also showcased his finishing prowess, hammering Harshal Patel and Mohammed Shami for boundaries, including a hat-trick of fours in the 16th over. He capped his cameo with a towering six down the ground off Simarjeet Singh a couple of overs later.
KKR lost both openers early, with Quinton de Kock (1) mistiming a pull to deep mid-wicket off Cummins and Sunil Narine (7) edging behind to Heinrich Klaasen off Shami. Rahane, looking to rebuild, perished while attempting a reverse sweep off Zeeshan Ansari.
Raghuvanshi, dropped on 43 by Nitish Kumar Reddy, capitalised on the reprieve to notch up his second IPL fifty before holing out to Harshal Patel off Kamindu Mendis. His 50-run partnership with Rahane was a crucial phase in the innings.
Hyderabad bowlers had a mixed outing. Harshal Patel (1/43) was among the wickets, removing the dangerous Iyer in the penultimate over. Cummins (1/44) and Shami (1/29) kept things tight in phases but leaked runs at crucial moments. Simarjeet Singh proved expensive, conceding 47 runs. The fielding was below par, with missed catches and misfields aiding KKR’s cause.
Andre Russell’s stay was brief as he was run out off the final delivery, hesitating after a miscommunication with Rinku Singh. His dismissal marked the end of KKR’s innings at exactly 200.
Hyderabad now face a challenging chase under the lights.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 200/6 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 60, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 50, Ajinkya Rahane 38; Harshal Patel 1/43, Zeeshan Ansari 1/25).
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