Explosive knocks by openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma led Sunrisers Hyderabad to their first win of the IPL season with a 65-run thrashing of Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.
Australia’s Head hit 46 off 21 balls and along with Abhishek, who clobbered a 21-ball 48, lay the foundations for Hyderabad’s 226-8 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
Hyderabad then bowled out three-time winners Kolkata for 161 in 16 overs to register their first points after losing their opener to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Head and Abhishek put on 82 runs for the first wicket as the two tore into the opposition attack and hit 10 fours and seven sixes between them.
South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen top-scored with 52 after Kolkata lost three quick wickets including skipper Ishan Kishan, for 14, and Abhishek in one over from Blessing Muzarabani, who finished with 4-41.
Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 39, put on 82 for the fifth wicket to help Hyderabad finish on a high.
“I was happy with everyone putting the effort,” said Kishan, who is leading the team in place of Pat Cummins, who is recovering from a back injury.
“Head and Abhishek made our game easy. It was a complete team effort.”
Both teams came into the match after defeats in their opening outings but 2016 winners Hyderabad executed their plans to perfection.
Kolkata’s New Zealand import Finn Allen struck three fours and two sixes off David Payne in the first over of the chase to get them off to a blistering start.
But after a seven-ball 28, Allen departed in the second over and despite wicketkeeper-batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 52, the Kolkata chase fizzled out.
“I thought SRH bowlers executed the slower balls (well) and the angles they used was really good,” said Kolkata skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
Left-arm quick Jaydev Unadkat took three wickets, including two in two balls, to bowl out Kolkata with four overs left unused as Hyderabad bounced back.
Source: Khaleej Times