IPL 2026: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Kolkata Knight Riders, claim first victory of season

Kolkata: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) returned to winning ways, scripting a 65-run victory to inflict a second consecutive defeat on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an IPL 2026 clash at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. Set a target of 227 runs, the Knight Riders were bundled out for 161 runs in 16 overs.

This marked Sunrisers Hyderabad's first victory of the current season. It is worth noting that Sunrisers Hyderabad had suffered a 6-wicket defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their opening match. Similarly, the Kolkata Knight Riders had also been defeated by Mumbai Indians (MI) by 6 wickets. Now, the Hyderabad-based team has returned to winning ways.

How did Kolkata's run chase unfold?

During the run-chase, Finn Allen provided a blistering start for the Kolkata Knight Riders. Aided by four fours and two sixes, Allen smashed 28 runs off just 7 deliveries. However, Allen was unable to convert his innings into a substantial score and was dismissed via a 'caught and bowled' by Harsh Dubey. Expectations were high for a solid innings from captain Ajinkya Rahane, but he could only manage to score 8 runs off the 10 balls he faced. Cameron Green (2 runs) failed to make an impact in this match as well and was run out. At the time of Green's dismissal, Kolkata's score stood at 74/3.

Angkrish Raghuvanshi certainly attempted to stabilize the innings and reached his half-century in 27 balls. However, Raghuvanshi was run out shortly after bringing up his fifty. Raghuvanshi scored 52 runs off 29 balls, an innings that included 6 fours and 2 sixes. Anukul Roy failed to even open his account and was dismissed by Nitish Kumar Reddy. Nitish Reddy then sent Rinku Singh (35 runs)—who had already settled in at the crease—back to the pavilion.

From this point on, the Kolkata Knight Riders were completely out of the game. Sunil Narine (12 runs), Ramandeep Singh (10 runs), Vaibhav Arora (5 runs), and Varun Chakravarthy (0 runs) were the last four batters to get dismissed. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jaydev Unadkat was the top wicket-taker, claiming three wickets. Ishan Malinga and Nitish Kumar Reddy secured two wickets each.

How did ​​Hyderabad's Innings Unfold?

After losing the toss and batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a total of 226 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. Sunrisers Hyderabad got off to an explosive start; Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma forged an 82-run partnership in just 5.4 overs. Head scored 46 runs off 21 balls, smashing 6 fours and 3 sixes. Kartik Tyagi claimed Head's wicket.

Captain Ishan Kishan failed to make a significant impact; he scored 14 runs before falling victim to Blessing Muzarabani. Muzarabani also dismissed Abhishek in the 9th over. Abhishek scored 48 runs off 21 balls, an innings that included 4 sixes and 4 fours. At the time of Abhishek's dismissal, Hyderabad's score stood at 112/3.

Aniket Verma could not make his mark in this match and was dismissed by Anukul Roy after scoring just 1 run. From there, Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy built an 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Nitish contributed 39 runs off 24 balls, hitting 4 fours and 1 six.

Following Nitish Kumar Reddy's dismissal, the entire responsibility fell upon Heinrich Klaasen. Klaasen did not disappoint and successfully reached his half-century. He contributed 52 runs off 35 balls, striking 4 fours and 1 six. Salil Arora (0 runs) and Shivang Kumar (4 runs) failed to make any significant contribution with the bat. For the Kolkata Knight Riders, Blessing Muzarabani was the top wicket-taker, claiming four wickets, while Vaibhav Arora secured two dismissals.

What is the head-to-head record between KKR and SRH?

In the Indian Premier League, the Kolkata Knight Riders have clearly held the upper hand against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. A total of 31 matches have been played between the two teams so far, with the Kolkata Knight Riders emerging victorious in 20 of those encounters, whereas the Sunrisers Hyderabad have managed to win only 11 matches. However, the rivalry was evenly balanced during the previous season; the two matches played between the teams last season resulted in a 1-1 tie.

Total IPL Matches: 31
Kolkata Won: 20
Hyderabad Won: 11

What were the playing XIs?

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper/Captain), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, and David Payne.
Impact Sub: Ishan Malinga.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Wicketkeeper), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, and Blessing Muzarabani.
Impact Sub: Finn Allen.