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The road ahead - The Sunrisers Hyderabad will want to treat this defeat as a minor blip and quickly move on. They remain at home and will now turn their focus to their next challenge, as they prepare to face the Punjab Kings on Wednesday, 6th May. As for the Kolkata Knight Riders, they will head into their next fixture brimming with confidence after three wins on the bounce. A trip to the capital awaits, where they will take on the Delhi Capitals on Friday, 8th May.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Varun Chakaravarthy wins the award for his brilliance with the ball. He returned figures of 3/36 from his 4 overs. Varun says that the blow he took on the leg was a mere impact pain and says that he is confident that he will be fully fit within three days. Reflecting on his resurgence in form, Varun explains that spinners naturally struggle on the flat wickets early on but find their rhythm as the surfaces begin to wear. Chakaravarthy mentions that the plan was to cramp Head for room and prevent him from extending his arms. Varun praises the batting unit for a clinical finish and highlights a surge of positive energy within the squad, believing that if KKR maintains this consistency, they are poised to make a serious impact in the competition.
The captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders - Ajinkya Rahane calls it a very good game and praises the way the team fought back with the ball. Feels that a total of 190-200 would have been challenging to chase on this surface. The KKR captain credits the spinners for consistently picking up wickets, adding that this is what the format demands. Also highlights that the bowling unit has been doing very well collectively, with special mention for the support staff, including Dwayne Bravo and Tim Southee. Rahane feels that the previous win against LSG was important heading into the break. Further says that the team had 2-3 practice sessions in the break, and for him, it is all about staying mentally fresh. Jinx mentions that the support staff have been doing a great job, and even during the phase where they lost their first five matches, the atmosphere in the camp remained calm. Ajinkya says he is really happy for Varun Chakaravarthy, highlighting his confidence, work ethic, and attitude, and praises him for taking on the tough overs consistently.
Time for the presentation ceremony...
A tale of two halves - After opting to bat first, it was the SRH top order that provided the usual strong start, with Travis Head leading the charge. At 107/2 halfway through the innings, the home side looked on course for a big total, but KKR staged a remarkable turnaround. Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine were the key figures, with others chipping in as well. Wickets fell at regular intervals as SRH lost 8 for 48 to be bowled out for 165 in 19 overs.
KKR ice the chase - It was not the usual Hyderabad surface where batters could freely hit through the line, with the pitch a touch on the drier side. Given their Powerplay struggles this season, there were bound to be some nerves, but Finn Allen quickly put those to rest with a brisk 13-ball 29. From there, Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi took control. Raghuvanshi was the dominant partner, bringing up a fine fifty in an 84-run stand. He could not see it through to the end, but by the time he departed, the finishing line was well within sight, and KKR completed the job without much fuss.
A quick word with KKR's number 3 - Angkrish Raghuvanshi says that he is really happy that he has helped the side win a contest. Raghuvanshi adds that he still has a lot to work on despite his classical knock in this game, as his coach was not all that happy with the way he got out. Angkrish feels that Rahane and Allen started well, and that is what made life easy for him as he walked out to bat, and the skipper helped him a lot in building the innings. Raghuvanshi mentions that he is just looking to go out there and enjoy every outing. He concludes by saying that it was his dream to play at this level, and that's why he will always have a smile on his face.
The skipper of the Sunrisers Hyderabad - Pat Cummins says that the first 8-10 overs were excellent, and they did well against the matchups, but they just couldn't get the act right in the rest of the contest. Pat adds that the deck wasn't the best to have a go on, but from the position they were in, they should have got at least 180-190. Pat feels that their batting has cost them this game, but it happens.
Three wins in a row for KKR - This is a win that will particularly please them, given the character they showed with the ball to pull things back when SRH looked set to run away with it, and the composure they displayed to complete the chase. The five-game winning streak comes to an end for SRH. The short-ball plan after the second timeout helped delay the inevitable, but they simply didn't put enough runs on the board despite having a strong platform.
Eshan Malinga to Rinku Singh, Four!FOUR! KKR WIN BY 7 WICKETS! Short and on middle and off, Rinku Singh pulls this towards the deep mid-wicket region and finds the fence for a boundary to seal the contest. An excellent cameo of 22* from 11 by Rinku.
Eshan Malinga to Rinku Singh, Four!FOUR! Pitched up, on middle and leg, Rinku Singh flicks this up and over the mid on fielder and the ball races into the boundary cushions for four.
Eshan Malinga to Rinku Singh, Wide!WIDE! On a length, wide down the leg side, Rinku Singh leaves it. Wided.
Eshan Malinga to bowl now with KKR needing 6 more runs.
Sakib Hussain to Rinku Singh, 1 run.Short and on middle and off, Rinku Singh pulls this towards deep square leg for a single.
Sakib Hussain to Rinku Singh, No run.Short one, around off, Rinku Singh leaves it.
Sakib Hussain to Rinku Singh, No run.Full and around the pads of Rinku. The batter steps inside the line and looks to flick it away, but misses. The umpire calls it a fair delivery, but Rinku sends this upstairs for a wide not given. The replay shows that Rinku has stepped a bit inside the line, and had he been in his actual stance, the ball would have rapped him on his pads, so the on-field decision of a dot stays.
Sakib Hussain to Rinku Singh, No run.Short and around off, Rinku Singh leans back and looks for the upper-cut but misses.
Sakib Hussain to Cameron Green, 1 run.Good length, around the pads, Cameron Green tucks this to fine leg for a single.
Sakib Hussain to Rinku Singh, 5 runs.BUZZERS! Good length, on middle and leg, Rinku Singh tucks this gently to the right of Shivang Kumar at mid-wicket and sets off for a single. Shivang attacks the ball and has a shy at the stumps towards the non-striker's end but misses. Abhishek Sharma at cover has a lot of ground to cover, and he cannot get around quickly to back up the throw. The ball races away to the fence. Rinku Singh throws a punch in the air as he celebrates with a smile.
Shivang Kumar to Cameron Green, No run.Floated around off, Cameron Green rocks back and blocks this out.
Shivang Kumar to Cameron Green, 2 runs.Full toss, on middle and off, Cameron Green flicks this through mid-wicket and scampers back for two.
A fine knock from Angkrish Raghuvanshi, but he would have loved to stay there till the end. Cameron Green comes out to bat.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, OUT! c Eshan Malinga b Shivang Kumar.OUT! CAUGHT! Googly, around off. Angkrish Raghuvanshi backs away a shade and looks to loft this over extra cover, but gets it miscued off the cue end and the ball goes towards long off. Eshan Malinga runs in and takes a safe catch. KKR are 151/3, needing 15 runs off 20 balls.
Shivang Kumar to Rinku Singh, 1 run.Fuller around off, Rinku Singh cuts this square to deep point for a single.
Shivang Kumar to Rinku Singh, Six!SIX! Clean strike! Flighted around middle and off, Rinku Singh goes down on a knee and slog sweeps this out of the park towards the deep mid-wicket region for a massive six.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Wrong'un around off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi cuts this to sweeper cover for a single.
Pat Cummins to Rinku Singh, No run.Yet another short one, around off, Rinku Singh ducks down. KKR need 23 runs from 24 balls.
Pat Cummins to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Slower, short ball, over middle. Angkrish Raghuvanshi helps the pull to deep fine leg for one.
Pat Cummins to Rinku Singh, 2 Wides!TWO WIDES! Good length, way too down the leg side, Rinku Singh backs away but even that is not enough to get anything on it. Kishan fails to gather this despite his dive to his right, and the batters cross over as the ball is parried away off the keeper's gloves.
Pat Cummins to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Short and on off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi pulls this to the deep square leg region for a single.
Pat Cummins to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Four!FOUR! Excellent manoeuvring of the field by Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Short and wide of off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi gets up on his toes and steers this for a boundary to the left of the third man fielder for four runs. Raghuvanshi moves to 56, which is now his highest IPL score.
Pat Cummins to Rinku Singh, 1 run.Good length, around off, Rinku Singh arches back and guides this to the right of the fielder at the third man region for a single.
Halt! The physio rushes out to check on Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who is grimacing in pain. The magic spray has done its job and Raghuvanshi is ready to resume.
Pat Cummins to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Leg bye.Ouch, that has hurt! Pat comes around the stumps and darts in a short one, around the ribs of Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Angkrish goes for a pull but swings early and misses out. The ball hits him around the bottom of his ribs to the left side of his chest. The ball rolls to square leg for a leg bye.
A promotion for Rinku Singh as he walks out to replace his skipper ahead of Cameron Green.
Sakib Hussain to Ajinkya Rahane, OUT! c Ravichandran Smaran b Sakib Hussain.OUT! CAUGHT! The short ball plan eventually works. Ajinkya Rahane was not looking comfortable to the short ball ploy from Sakib in this over. Pace on now and at the bodyline of the batter. Rahane hangs back for the pull but is rushed and cramped for space. It balloons off the splice of the bat, and Ravichandran Smaran takes a dolly at mid-wicket. The 84-run stand comes to an end. KKR are 133/2, needing 32 runs from 30 balls.
Sakib Hussain to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Pace off and on a short of a good length, on off. Angkrish arches back and runs it down to deep third for a single.
Sakib Hussain to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Wide!Wide given, but SRH have reviewed the call. Sakib goes short again and keeps it near the tramline. Angkrish Raghuvanshi reaches out to flay it away on the off side but misses. There was no movement from Angkrish and the ball was well outside the tramline. The third umpire wants to check whether there was any bat involved. Flat line on the UltraEdge.
Sakib Hussain to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Another bumper, over off, Rahane goes deep in the crease and guides it through third man for a single.
Sakib Hussain to Ajinkya Rahane, No run.Angled into the left shoulder, pace off again and into the surface. Ajinkya swivels to get the pull away but is early into the shot and bunts it behind towards the keeper.
Sakib Hussain to Ajinkya Rahane, No run.Pace off and on the shorter side. This spins back towards Rahane, who fends it down.
Sakib Hussain to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Short and outside off, this is slapped to deep point for one.
Dominate on-side showing from Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Out of the 50 he has scored, if we break down his scoring areas, as shown on-air, Angkrish Raghuvanshi has scored 31 runs towards the on-side and 19 towards the off-side.
Harshal Patel to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.FIFTY FOR RAGHUVANSHI! A well-compiled knock from KKR's number 3. Single-digit scores in his last three games, and this knock will do his confidence the world of good. Off-cutter, full and on off. Angkrish pushes it to long on and brings up his half-century with a single.
Harshal Patel to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Full and on off. Rahane extends his hands out in front to drill it past extra cover. The bat turns in his hand and the shot is miscued to long off for a single.
Harshal Patel to Ajinkya Rahane, Four!FOUR! Not in control, but Rahane will take it. Harshal sticks to the short ball, on off. Ajinkya gets his hands high and swings hard for the pull. The ball gets big on him, and it goes off the top edge down to the deep fine leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Ajinkya Rahane, No run.Rahane backs away before the release but Patel sticks to his guns. Digs it in short, on off and middle. Ajinkya flashes but misses.
Harshal Patel to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Slips in the slower bouncer, over middle. Raghuvanshi stays inside the line and helps the pull to deep fine leg for a run.
Harshal Patel to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, No run.Bashes the hard length, outside off. Angkrish Raghuvanshi hops and cuts it well but can't get it past backward point.
STRATEGIC BREAK! It has been a really clinical batting display by Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi so far. The way the two have kept the scoreboard ticking and not let the pressure get onto them has brought KKR in a really commanding position. SRH needs not just one but a few wickets in a cluster to bring things back a bit.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Loopy low full toss, Angkrish knocks it to long off and retains the strike with a single. KKR require 44 runs in 42 balls.
Shivang Kumar to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.A bit shorter, on off, Rahane rocks back and punches it past extra cover for a run.
Shivang Kumar to Ajinkya Rahane, No run.Drags the length back and bowls the googly, on off. Rahane tries to run it down with an open bat face but misses.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Full and on off, AR comes forward and plays it to long off for a single.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, No run.Nicely bowled! Slower and it is the wrong'un again, full and across off. Raghuvanshi swings hard, looking to go down the ground but is beaten by the turn.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, No run.Off the edge! Googly, on a length, on off. Angkrish Raghuvanshi looks to go up and over cover but gets an outside edge to short third.
Shivang Kumar (2-0-18-0) comes back into the attack.
Eshan Malinga to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.On a shortish length, over middle. This is helped down to deep fine leg for one. 47 needed off 48.
Eshan Malinga to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Four!FOUR! Back-to-back boundaries. Malinga slips in the yorker and it tails back in at the toes. Raghuvanshi hurriedly gets his bat down as he glances it fine of the man at deep fine leg for four more.
Eshan Malinga to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Four!FOUR! Fingertips stuff! Eshan Malinga bowls the slower, short ball, over middle. Angkrish Raghuvanshi arches back for the ramp over the keeper. He waits for the ball to arrive and gets a bit too much of the blade. Ishan Kishan leaps and sticks out his right hand over his head. The ball clips his fingertips and goes behind for a boundary.
Eshan Malinga to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, No run.Full and a bit of tail back into the right-hander. Angkrish clips it to the right of mid-wicket. Rahane once again sets off for the run before being sent back.
Eshan Malinga to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, No run.This is dug in short, on off, Angkrish mistimes the pull shot to the man at mid-wicket. Rahane is nearly halfway through the run before he retreats. Ravichandran Smaran picks up the ball but with there being no back up, he opts not to throw.
Eshan Malinga to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, No run.Starts with an off-pace delivery, on a good length, outside off. Angkrish punches it on the up to cover.
Eshan Malinga is brought back into the action. Will there be reverse swing on offer for Eshan?
Pat Cummins to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Back to bowling it short, on off. Angkrish plays a controlled pull shot in front of square on the leg side for a single.
Pat Cummins to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, No run.Comes up with a full ball, attacking the front pad. It does catch Raghuvanshi by surprise, who just about squeezes out an inside edge onto the pads.
Pat Cummins to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Banged in short, under the right armpit, Ajinkya rides the bounce and pulls it behind square leg. They cross.
Pat Cummins to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.From around the wicket now, sticks to the bumper, over middle. Angkrish checks his shot as he pulls it wide of mid-wicket for a run.
Pat Cummins to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Dug in short, over middle. Rahane swivels to take on the short ball. He does not quite get hold of it and it is skied to the left of Salil Arora at deep fine leg. They cross.
Pat Cummins to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Around the off stump, on a good length. Angkrish Raghuvanshi dabs it in front of backward point and crosses over.
KKR are cruising in this chase. Pat Cummins (2-0-33-1) brings himself back.
Sakib Hussain to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Full and wide of off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi drives this through covers for a single. 61 needed off 60.
Sakib Hussain to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Short and on middle and off, Ajinkya Rahane pulls this behind mid-wicket for a single.
Sakib Hussain to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Pitched up, around off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi drives this a bit uppish but just short of extra cover for a single as the ball deflects off the fielder's body and rolls toward long off.
Sakib Hussain to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.On a length, around off, Ajinkya Rahane hits this to wide long on and rotates the strike again.
Sakib Hussain to Ajinkya Rahane, Wide!WIDE! Yorker, down the leg, Ajinkya Rahane goes for a flick but misses. Wide called by the umpire.
Sakib Hussain to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Good length, around off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi dabs this towards point and takes a run. 100 comes up for KKR.
Sakib Hussain to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, No run.On a length, down the leg side, Angkrish Raghuvanshi steps inside and looks to flick but misses out. Gets it brushed off the thigh pad and Ishan Kishan gathers this behind the stumps.
SRH's Impact Sub, Sakib Hussain has been called into the attack.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Tossed up, on off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi drives this down to long off for a single. The 50-run stand comes up between these two batters.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 2 runs.Raghuvanshi has been cutting the ball off the back foot well up to this point. Quicker one, around off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi rocks back and cuts this to the left of sweeper cover for a couple.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Four!FOUR! Swept well for a boundary. Wrong'un, pitching outside leg, Angkrish Raghuvanshi goes down on a knee and sweeps this behind square on leg for a boundary to the left of fine leg.
Shivang Kumar to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Fuller and flatter around off, Ajinkya Rahane chips this to sweeper cover and rotates the strike.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Wrong'un around off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi cuts this through point for a single.
Shivang Kumar to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Fuller around middle and off, Ajinkya Rahane chips this to wide long on for one.
Shivang Kumar to continue with KKR needing 77 runs off 72 balls.
Harshal Patel to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Full toss on middle and off, Ajinkya Rahane just eases this through mid on for a single to end the over. 10 off Harshal's first over of the game.
Harshal Patel to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Full and on middle and leg, Angkrish Raghuvanshi flicks this through square leg for a single.
Harshal Patel to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Wide!WIDE! Short and wide down the leg, Angkrish Raghuvanshi steps inside the line and looks to fend this through backward square leg but misses. Wided.
Harshal Patel to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Four!FOUR! Back of a length, wide outside off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi leans back and brings fast hands into the action. Cuts this square on off and beats backward point to his right for a boundary.
Harshal Patel to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Slower one, good length, on middle and leg, Ajinkya Rahane punches this down to long on for one.
Harshal Patel to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Slower one, full and around off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi cuts this to deep third for a run.
Harshal Patel to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Harshal bends his back and darts in a short one, around off. Ajinkya Rahane pulls this towards deep square leg for a single.
STRATEGIC BREAK! A fine start for the Kolkata Knight Riders in pursuit of a middling total. Finn Allen's assault has set up the chase beautifully, with the required run rate at the moment being under 7. From here, it is about managing the chase through the middle overs. Wickets at regular intervals is what the Sunrisers Hyderabad need to defend this total. We did see that as the ball lost its hardness, scoring became more difficult in the SRH innings, and that is where the start KKR have got off to will help them. Sakib Hussain has been introduced as Hyderabad's Impact Sub. Aniket Verma has been subbed out. It will be Harshal Patel to bowl after the break.
Aniket Verma is substituted by Sakib HussainAniket Verma is substituted by Sakib Hussain
Shivang Kumar to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Fuller around off, Rahane drives this down to long off and takes a single.
Shivang Kumar to Ajinkya Rahane, No run.Wrong'un around off, Ajinkya Rahane goes deep inside the crease and pushes this to short extra cover.
Shivang Kumar to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 1 run.Quicker one, around middle and off, Angkrish Raghuvanshi flicks this through mid on for a single.
Shivang Kumar to Ajinkya Rahane, 1 run.Tossed up, on off, Ajinkya Rahane pushes this down to long off for a single.