KKR vs SRH

11:32 PM local time and IST: The first match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and over and done with, and now, we shift our focus to the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The home side, Chennai Super Kings, will take on Punjab Kings, tomorrow, from 7:30 PM local time. Don't forget to join us for what is expected to be a cracker of a contest between bat and ball! This is Pradeep and Bidipto taking your leave. Keep following Sportskeeda! 

Nitish Kumar Reddy (Player of the Match, 39 runs off 24 balls and 2/17 in 2 overs): "(First thoughts) It's very good, a match-winning performance I was waiting for a long time! Finally, an all-round effort to showcase. (On how the last year was for him, overall) A few negative thoughts did creep in, I didn't bowl last season, there were injuries and my form wasn't great. Now, I'm feeling better mentally. (On his physical fitness) The body is also feeling good, I hope to stay strong right through the season." 

Ishan Kishan [Sunrisers Hyderabad captain]: "(On how happy he is with this performance) Happy with the way the team played, not me though! But, really happy to see the kind of effort put in by everyone. (On the pitch) I don't think the pitch wasn't as good as it was made to look. Abhishek (Sharma) and Travis (Head) were excellent, and then, that partnership between Klaasy (Heinrich Klaasen) and Nitish (Kumar Reddy), quite brilliant! (On what he felt when Finn Allen started so well) When Finn goes like that, he takes the game away. But, we hung in there, and Harsh (Dubey) was able to pick him up. (On the bowlers) I'll mention Shivang. First match, against KKR here, and he bowled with a big heart! (On the areas to get better in) We are getting to know about the areas to improve on, but, we have to improve our fielding. We cannot be giving 20 runs away every game." 

Jaydev Unadkat [Sunrisers Hyderabad]: "(On his performance and impact with the ball) Thank you. It’s still early in the season, but I’m happy to contribute whenever I get the opportunity. The focus was on using variations effectively, especially taking pace off the ball, and it worked well today.(On the role of experience in his bowling) Experience definitely plays a big role. It’s about trusting what works on the day and not worrying about outside noise. Today, the cutters were effective, so we stuck to that. We bowled into the pitch, picked up wickets at crucial moments, and overall, it was a much better execution compared to the first game.(On reading conditions and planning variations) We got good feedback during our batting innings that the pitch was two-paced and the ball was holding up. That helped us plan better as a bowling unit, and the communication within the team was key to executing those plans.(On decision-making during delivery) I usually keep a couple of options in mind at the top of my mark and assess what the batter is trying to do. Most of the decisions are made just before the delivery, though sometimes you have to adjust at the last moment.(On varying angles and keeping batters guessing) That’s essential in modern T20 cricket. Changing angles—over and around the wicket—and mixing things up keeps the batters uncertain. On surfaces like these, even good balls can go for runs, so it’s important to stay unpredictable. I think that approach worked well for me today."

Ajinkya Rahane [Kolkata Knight Riders captain]: "(On the team’s batting performance) We needed a couple of strong partnerships while chasing, especially from the set batters to take the game deep, but that didn’t happen. We got off to a good start in the powerplay, but losing that extra wicket, including the run-out, hurt us. The middle overs were crucial, and that’s where we lost our way.(On assessing the pitch conditions) In the second innings, the pitch behaved a bit differently. The ball was holding up slightly, and the slower deliveries were gripping more than expected. We thought it might get better to bat on, but it didn’t quite play that way. That said, no excuses—we had a good platform but couldn’t capitalise.(On the opposition’s bowling effort) Credit to SRH—they executed their plans really well, especially with the slower balls and the angles they used. They applied pressure consistently in the middle overs.(On bouncing back and team combination) Home games are important, so we’ll go back, reassess our combination, and see if we can strengthen the batting. There’s enough time before the next game, and we don’t want to overthink things. The team has been doing well overall—it was just an off day with the bat.(On the road ahead in the tournament) It’s still early in the tournament, just a couple of games in. If we can build those partnerships and maintain a positive mindset with a bit more awareness, we’ll be in a good position moving forward.

11:06 PM local time and IST: Sunrisers Hyderabad win by 65 runs with 4 overs to spare! 

Heinrich Klaasen 52 (35) | Jaydev Unadkat - 3/21 (3)
Angkrish Raghuvanshi 52 (29) | Blessing Muzarabani - 4/41 (4)

Runs on the board, always handy! The saying, even in this day and age, is just as good! 

On a good pitch, on a fast outfield, and against a bowling attack which had to prove a point, Kolkata Knight Riders, in front of their fans, fell way short of the mark! 

Finn Allen got off to a flyer, and that was it. Angkrish Raghuvanshi played really well, got to his fifty, and got run out, eventually! Rinku Singh tried to bat long, and looked the part, until he found short third man. Ramandeep Singh had to score big tonight, but it fell away after he touched double digits. Sunil Narine hit two sixes, but could not do more. 

Apart from these, there was nothing much to talk about. KKR lost wickets in heaps, and there was hardly any partnership of substance. When a couple of 50-run stands were required, the highest was 46, between Angkrish and Rinku. 

What also didn't help the hosts, was those two run-outs. First, Cameron Green. In his case, trying to take a run before checking whether the ball has been half-stopped, proved to be fatal. And then, Angkrish. Many can say that it was the turning point! A big mix-up with Rinku, as both were ball-watching! 

But, on the other side of the coin, apart from the first over going for 25 runs, and some misfields through the middle overs, Sunrisers Hyderabad were impressive with the ball! 

Harsh Dubey got the big wicket of Allen, Jaydev Unadkat got 3 wickets, Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up 2 key wickets too and Eshan Malinga chipped in with a couple too. Shivang Kumar, in his first game, wasn't as unimpressive, as his figures suggest. In fact, we can expect quite a lot of wickets of him going forward. 

But the bowling changes from Ishan Kishan, and the execution of the plans, both were spot on! What those did, was keep taking wickets at regular intervals. 

The highest score of the season, ends up getting defended! SRH are up and running, placed 6th in the points table now. Two losses out of two, for KKR, the 3-time champions. 

KKR lose their first two matches for the first time, since 2012. They need to start winning at home and make it a bit of a fortress. Otherwise, things can get really messy on the road! 

15.6 Jaydev Unadkat to Varun Chakaravarthy, OUT! DRAGS IT BACK ON AND IT'S ALL OVER! KKR have been handed a proper thrashing by SRH here. Full outside the off-stump, Varun reaches to squeeze it away, but gets an inside edge back on to the stumps. SRH bowlers did a phenomenal job here by bowling out KKR.

15.5 Jaydev Unadkat to Kartik Tyagi, OUT! BIG APPEALS FOR CAUGHT BEHIND AND GIVEN! Tyagi reviews it. Length delivery in the channel, Tyagi looks to play across, might've taken the feather of the inside edge to the keeper.

UltraEdge comes up, shows there's a spike and Tyagi has to go!