2 min readUpdated: Apr 3, 2026 02:38 AM IST
SunRisers Hyderabad thrashed Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs in the latter’s first home game of the 2026 IPL season, dismissing them for 161 runs after setting a total of 226/8. SRH’s batting power came to the fore once again, with this being their second-consecutive 200-plus score this season, but this was backed up by a clinical bowling performance unlike what was the case in their first match of the season against RCB.
KKR were off to quite a sensational start to their chase, with Finn Allen being subbed in for Blessing Muzarabani, who took four wickets, and smashing 28 runs in seven balls. Allen fell in the second over to Harsh Dubey after which KKR kept losing wickets at frequent intervals. Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Cameron Green were both ran out after some careless running.
AS IT HAPPENED | KKR vs SRH IPL 2026 match
The first was a mix-up between the two players themselves, with Raghuvanshi initially walking back before the umpire’s called him back and sent off Green as the two batters hadn’t crossed each other when the stumps were broken. Raghuvanshi went on to score 52 in 29 balls before being run out after a mix-up with Rinku Singh. Rinku then provided some hope before falling to Reddy on 35 off 25 balls. By that point, it was already clear that it would take a miracle for KKR to pull off a win in their first home match of the season. The miracle never came.
SRH’s batting power came to the fore once again with contributions from across the board helping them post a mammoth 226/8 batting first. It started with an 82-run opening stand between Head and Abhishek that came in just 34 balls. Captain Ishan Kishan then fell after scoring 14 in nine balls, with Blessing Muzarabani making his presence in the ninth over felt early on by dismissing him and Abhishek two balls later.
Aniket Verma then fell in the next and SRH went fron 111/1 to 118/4 in a matter of six deliveries. Then came a whirlwind 82-run stand between Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy that came in 53 balls for the fifth wicket. Klaasen went on to make 52 in 35 balls.
