Kolkata, Apr 3: Defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) posted a competitive total against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 15 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Eden Gardens, thanks to a remarkable late-innings acceleration spearheaded by Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh.

KKR finished their innings at 200/6 in 20 overs, recovering from early setbacks with a dynamic middle-order partnership.

The KKR opening partnership, which had failed to find momentum in previous games, endured another underwhelming outing. Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock could not provide the explosive start the team desired.

After a quiet first over, de Kock miscued a pull shot off Pat Cummins and was caught in the deep for just one (6 balls). Narine followed soon after, edging an over-pitched delivery from Mohammed Shami to the keeper for seven (7 balls). KKR were left struggling at 17/2 in three overs, bringing captain Ajinkya Rahane and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi to the crease.

With KKR in trouble, Rahane and Raghuvanshi stabilized the innings with calculated aggression. The duo took advantage of short deliveries, keeping the scoreboard ticking with well-timed boundaries and excellent running between the wickets. Rahane hit three sixes and played fluently before falling for 38 (27 balls) while attempting a reverse sweep against Zeeshan Ansari.

Raghuvanshi, displaying maturity beyond his years, brought up his second IPL fifty off just 30 balls. However, his impressive innings of 50 (32 balls, five fours, two sixes) came to an end when he sliced Kamindu Mendis’ off-spin to deep backward point. At 109/4 in 13.2 overs, KKR had lost both set batters, shifting the responsibility to their middle-order.

With the innings at a critical juncture, Venkatesh Iyer (60 off 29 balls) and Rinku Singh (unbeaten 32 off 17) took charge. Initially cautious, the duo unleashed a flurry of attacking strokes in the death overs. Venkatesh found his rhythm with powerful shots off Simarjeet and Shami, while Rinku ignited KKR’s charge with three consecutive fours off Harshal Patel in the 17th over.

The 19th over bowled by Cummins proved to be the turning point, as Rinku smashed 4,6,4,4,2,1, reaching his fifty in just 25 balls. The final partnership yielded 91 off just 41 balls, at a stunning run rate of 11.25.

KKR’s late surge saw them add 91 runs in the last seven overs, propelling their total to 200 in 20 overs. The innings was defined by Venkatesh Iyer’s anchoring role and Rinku Singh’s fearless hitting, putting the pressure back on SRH’s bowling attack.

Brief scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders 200/6 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 60, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 50; Mohammed Shami 1-29, Zeeshan Ansari 1-25) against Sunrisers Hyderabad

--IANS

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