IPL 2026: Raghuvanshi’s 59, Varun’s three-for help KKR beat SRH by seven-wicket
Hyderabad, May 3 (IANS) Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a fine knock of 59 runs as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chased down a small target of 166 runs in just 18.2 overs and won the match by seven wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.
Earlier, Varun Chakaravarthy picked three wickets and led a strong bowling effort as KKR bowled out SRH for 165 in 19 overs.
Chasing a modest total, KKR had a slow start with openers Ajinkya Rahane and Finn Allen taking time to assess the conditions, managing just 14 runs in the first two overs. Rahane broke the early pressure in the third over with a six off Eshan Malinga.
Allen then counter-attacked in the next over, taking on Pat Cummins with two sixes and two fours in a single over. However, his aggressive innings was cut short when he was caught at deep mid-wicket by Heinrich Klaasen. Allen, who replaced Tim Seifert in the playing XI, scored a quick 29 off 13 balls, including three fours and two sixes.
After Allen’s dismissal, Rahane took charge of anchoring the innings, while Raghuvanshi played freely at the other end. The youngster looked confident and attacked the bowlers, hitting two sixes off Eshan Malinga in the final over of the powerplay as KKR reached 71/1 after six overs.
The duo then stitched together a crucial partnership, rotating the strike well and picking up boundaries at regular intervals without taking unnecessary risks. Their steady approach kept the scoreboard moving as KKR reached 105/1 at the halfway mark of the chase.
Raghuvanshi showed great composure and maturity during his innings and brought up his half-century off 39 balls, guiding KKR closer to the target.
SRH finally managed to break the 84-run stand in the 15th over when Sakib Hussain, introduced as an impact substitute, dismissed Rahane with a short delivery. The KKR skipper was caught at square leg by Smaran Ravichandran after scoring a steady 43 off 36 balls, which included four boundaries and a six.
Raghuvanshi’s impressive innings came to an end in the 17th over when he attempted a big shot off Shivang Kumar but was dismissed for 59 off 47 balls. His knock was laced with five fours and two sixes.
Despite losing both set batters towards the end, KKR remained in control of the chase. Rinku Singh and Cameron Green applied the finishing touches, guiding the team home with 10 balls to spare and sealing an easy victory for Kolkata.
Batting first, SRH began aggressively with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma attacking from the first over. Head dominated early, hitting multiple boundaries, while Abhishek supported him with quick runs. SRH raced to 71/1 in the powerplay, putting KKR under pressure.
KKR got their first breakthrough when Kartik Tyagi dismissed Abhishek for 15. However, Head continued his attacking approach and brought up a quick fifty off just 22 balls. His innings came to an end at 61 off 28 balls when he was caught in the deep, giving KKR a much-needed breakthrough.
The momentum shifted after that as KKR’s bowlers tightened their grip. Cameron Green removed Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 11, with Rovman Powell taking a good catch in the deep. Varun then struck twice, removing Smaran Ravichandran and Aniket Verma, triggering a collapse.
Ishan Kishan tried to hold the innings together with 42 runs off 29 balls, but wickets kept falling at the other end. Sunil Narine dismissed Kishan and also reached 200 IPL wickets during the process.
In the final overs, KKR wrapped up the innings quickly, with wickets falling regularly. Varun was the pick of the bowlers with 3/36, while Narine and Tyagi took two wickets each as KKR staged a strong comeback to restrict SRH to 165.
Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 165/10 runs in 19 overs (Travis Head 61, Ishan Kishan 42; Varun Chakaravarthy 3-36, Kartik Tyagi 2-30, Sunil Narine 2-31) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 169/3 in 18.2 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 59, Ajinkya Rahane 43; Sakib Hussain 1-17, Shivang Kumar 1-31) by seven wickets.
–IANS
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