Iyer and Rinku explode to set SRH 201 to win
KKR lost their openers cheaply but Rahane and Raghuvanshi steadied their innings before Iyer and Rinku went ballistic
ESPNcricinfo staff
03-Apr-2025
Venkatesh Iyer crashed 60 off 29 balls • BCCI
Kolkata Knight Riders 200 for 6 (Venkatesh 60, Raghuvanshi 50, Rahane 38, Rinku 32*) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Indian batters in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) middle order finally came to the fore as the home team posted 200 for 6 in their first innings against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens.
First, it was the four sixes hit by No. 3 Ajinkya Rahane in a 27-ball 38 that dragged KKR out of a tricky situation. No. 4 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who scored 50 in 32 balls, gave him able support.
And then, when both batters were dismissed in quick succession, it was Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh who brought out the big shots. Venkatesh smacked 60 in 29 balls while Rinku Singh was unbeaten on a 17-ball 32.
KKR's batting performance was the first time since the fifth game of IPL 2025 (on March 25) that a team had reached 200 in the tournament. But that number looked far from possible when Zeeshan Ansari and the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis rattled KKR through the middle overs with the wickets of Rahane and Raghuvanshi.
However, with KKR batting right down to No. 9 with Moeen Ali's inclusion for this fixture, Venkatesh and Rinku freed their arms against Simarjeet Singh, Pat Cummins and Harshal Patel. KKR crunched 78 off the last five overs to take the momentum into the innings break.
From SRH's perspective, they started well, dismissing Quinton de Kock (1) and Sunil Narine (7) cheaply in a strong powerplay performance.