Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) delivered a resounding 80-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their latest IPL 2025 fixture, marking their second victory of the season. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, speaking after the match, emphasized the importance of not just winning, but doing so with a strong margin to boost morale and net run rate.

“This was a must-win game for us, and winning by a big margin was crucial,” Rahane said during the post-match presentation.

💥 KKR Post 200 on the Board After Early Stumble

Put into bat first after losing the toss, KKR had a shaky start, losing both openers with just 16 runs on the board. But a steady 81-run partnership between Ajinkya Rahane (38) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (50) stabilized the innings.

The middle-order duo of Venkatesh Iyer (60 off 39) and Rinku Singh (32 off 18)* provided the late-innings fireworks, pushing Kolkata to a competitive total of 200/6.

“We initially thought a score of 170-180 would be good on this pitch,” said Rahane. “But Rinku and Venkatesh gave us that extra push.”

🧤 SRH Collapse in Chase

In response, Sunrisers Hyderabad faltered right from the start. Despite some resistance from Heinrich Klaasen (33) and Kamindu Mendis (27), the team was bundled out for 120 runs, suffering a massive defeat.

None of the SRH batters, apart from a few, could cross the double-digit mark. KKR’s bowlers were right on target, with:

• Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakravarthy picking up 3 wickets each

• Andre Russell chipping in with 2

• Harshit Rana and Sunil Narine taking 1 each

🎯 Rahane Credits Bowlers and Middle-Order Firepower

Ajinkya Rahane was all praise for his bowlers, especially the spin trio.

“We have three excellent spinners. Though Moeen Ali wasn’t available, Sunny (Sunil Narine) and Varun did a great job. Vaibhav and Harshit supported them well. That’s how we got this big win,” said Rahane.

He also pointed out how the batting strategy was focused on keeping wickets intact until the 11th or 12th over, then launching a calculated assault.

“We lost early wickets, but talked about building a partnership. Once we had wickets in hand, the idea was to go hard after 15 overs. That plan worked well.”

📝 Match Summary

KKR Innings:

• Venkatesh Iyer – 60 (39)

• Angkrish Raghuvanshi – 50 (36)

• Ajinkya Rahane – 38 (29)

• Rinku Singh – 32* (18)

SRH Bowling:

• Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Zeeshan Ansari, Kamindu Mendis – 1 wicket each

SRH Innings:

• Heinrich Klaasen – 33 (25)

• Kamindu Mendis – 27 (22)

• Nitish Reddy – 19 (17)

• Pat Cummins – 14 (9)

KKR Bowling:

• Vaibhav Arora – 3/27

• Varun Chakravarthy – 3/18

• Andre Russell – 2/20

• Harshit Rana – 1/28

• Sunil Narine – 1/24

📊 What This Win Means for KKR

This dominating performance has not only given KKR another two points but also a massive net run rate boost. With the playoffs race heating up, every win – especially one as comprehensive as this – becomes vital.

KKR fans will now hope the team carries this momentum forward. With Rahane leading from the front and a well-balanced squad, Kolkata might just be finding its rhythm at the right time.