‘They were phenomenal’ – Firstpost

Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane hailed his team’s all-round performance after a commanding 80-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match on Thursday. From Venkatesh Iyer’s explosive 60 off 29 balls to Vaibhav Arora’s lethal spell (3/29), KKR clicked in all departments to dismantle SRH, who were bowled out for 120 inside 16.4 overs.

“This game was really important for us, and winning with a big margin was crucial. We wanted to bowl first, but losing the toss meant we had to put runs on the board. We initially thought 170-180 would be a good total, but the way Rinku (Singh) and Venkatesh (Iyer) finished, we got much more,” Rahane said at the post-match presentation.

Venkatesh, Rinku steal the show in Kolkata

Ajinkya Rahane credited the late-innings fireworks by Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh (32* off 17), whose 91-run stand off just 41 balls powered KKR to their highest total of the season (200/6).

“When Rinku and Venkatesh were batting, it was about getting 50-60 runs in 30 balls. They were phenomenal in the back end,” the skipper noted.

Venkatesh, under pressure after a poor start to the season, silenced critics with his match-winning knock. His brutal assault in the death overs, including a 4-6-4-4 off Pat Cummins in the 19th over, ensured KKR finished on a high.

Vaibhav Arora’s impact performance

If KKR’s batters set the stage, their bowlers sealed the deal, led by Player of the Match Vaibhav Arora. The young pacer, playing as an Impact Player, ran through SRH’s top order, dismissing Travis Head (4) and Ishan Kishan (2) in quick succession.

“I prepare myself for the Impact role. They tell me beforehand that I will be coming in, so I observe how much the ball is swinging. In the fifth-sixth over, the ball doesn’t swing much, so I’ve developed cutters and yorkers. Cricket has changed, batters are more aggressive, so you need those variations,” Arora said.

With Arora and Harshit Rana (2/18) rattling SRH early, KKR’s famed spin duo, Sunil Narine (1/30) and Varun Chakravarthy (3/22), ensured there was no comeback.

“We know if we bowl well in the powerplay and get a couple of wickets, we can control the game because we have the best spinners,” Arora added.

Pat Cummins regrets fielding errors

On the other hand, SRH captain Pat Cummins admitted that his side fell short in all departments. SRH, who recently posted a record 280-run total, were bundled out for just 120. Cummins lamented their fielding lapses, which included dropped catches and misfields.

“Not a great night for us. At the mid-innings break, we thought it was gettable. It was a good wicket, but we gave away too many in the field. Probably more disappointed with our fielding. We only bowled three overs of spin; didn’t think there was a lot of turn. Cutters were gripping, so we backed our pacers, but they batted well towards the end,” Cummins said.