Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) proved their supremacy by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 80 runs on Thursday night at Eden Gardens. Batting first, KKR scored a strong score of 200 runs for 6 wickets, in response to which Hyderabad’s team collapsed for 120 runs in just 16.4 overs. Venkatesh Iyer’s stormy innings and Varun Chakraborty’s deadly bowling laid the foundation for this one-sided victory. With this brilliant performance, KKR further strengthened its position at the top of the IPL points table.
KKR’s power with the bat
After winning the toss and batting first, Kolkata’s team adopted an aggressive approach from the beginning. Venkatesh Iyer played an explosive innings of 60 runs in 29 balls, which included 5 fours and 4 sixes. His aggressive batting put the Hyderabad bowlers on the backfoot. Rinku Singh also accelerated the score by playing a quick innings of 32 runs in 17 balls. In the last overs, Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghunath played short but useful innings, which helped the team reach the 200 mark. Rahane later said, “Our goal was to score big, and the team executed it well. The pitch was good for batting, but we knew that the bowlers would also get help.” Hyderabad’s batting collapsed Sunrisers Hyderabad got off to a very bad start while chasing the target. The top order crumbled under pressure, and no batsman could play a big innings. Commando Mendis struggled to some extent by scoring 27 runs in 20 balls, while Heinrich Klaasen played an innings of 33 runs in 21 balls. But these efforts proved insufficient to rescue the team from the crisis. Captain Pat Cummins and the lower order also could not show any magic, and the fall of wickets continued. Klaasen said after the defeat, “We were under pressure from the beginning. KKR bowlers did not give us any chance. We have to work seriously on our batting.”

Bowlers’ havoc

KKR’s bowling was the real hero of this match. Varun Chakraborty destroyed Hyderabad’s middle order with his spin. He took 3 important wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs. Vibhuti Arora played an important role in giving the initial setbacks, who took 3 wickets for 29 runs. Andre Russell also ensured Hyderabad’s defeat by taking 2 wickets. Chakraborty said after the match, “I was trusting my line and length. The pitch was turning, and we took full advantage of it.”

Effect on the points table

With this win, Kolkata Knight Riders secured the first position in the points table with 14 points. The team’s net run rate has also strengthened with this big win. On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad desperately need to improve their batting. After this defeat, they slipped to the sixth position with 8 points. Cricket analyst Sanjay Majumdar said, “KKR looks the most balanced team this season. They have depth in batting and bowling, which makes them a strong contender for the title. At the same time, Hyderabad will have to focus on the failure of their top order.”

Excitement among fans

Thousands of fans present at Eden Gardens celebrated this victory. Ramesh Das, a Kolkata fan, said, “Venkatesh and Rinku did a great job. The bowlers did not let Hyderabad play. This is a memorable night for us.” KKR is also being praised on social media, and Varun Chakraborty is being called the ‘hero of the match’.

The way forward
This victory is a confidence booster for KKR, but the tournament is still long. The team has to face Mumbai Indians in the next match, which can prove to be a tough match. On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad need to change their strategy, especially in batting. Whether they will be able to make a comeback remains to be seen.