IPL: Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy star as KKR restrict SRH batting lineup to 165
Hyderabad (Telengana) [India], May 3 (ANI): A disciplined, all-round bowling effort from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) kept Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in check, restricting them to 165 in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash in Hyderabad on Sunday.
The hosts, Sunrisers Hyderabad, were cruising at 105/1 in the ninth over but lost momentum in the second half, eventually being bowled out for just 165.
With the ball for KKR, Varun Chakravarthy led the charge with three wickets, while Sunil Narine and Kartik Tyagi picked up two each; Anukul Roy, Cameron Green, and Vaibhav Arora chipped in with a wicket apiece.
After opting to bat first, SRH came out with attacking intent, led by a blistering knock from Travis Head. The SRH opener dominated the powerplay, racing to a rapid half-century and propelling the team to 71/1 in the first six overs.
His 61 off just 27 balls, featuring multiple boundaries and sixes, laid a strong foundation and kept the scoring rate above 10 runs per over. However, SRH lost Abhishek Sharma early for 15, bringing skipper Ishan Kishan to the crease.
Kishan complemented Head well, playing a fluent supporting role while maintaining the tempo. However, Varun Chakaravarthy gave KKR a much-needed breakthrough in the 9th over, removing Head for 61.
At the halfway mark, SRH were cruising at 107/2, firmly in control of the innings and looking set for a massive total.
However, the momentum shifted in the middle overs. Chakravarthy triggered a collapse by removing key batters, including Head and later Aniket Verma, while Cameron Green dismissed Heinrich Klaasen after a brief but aggressive cameo.
SRH lost wickets at regular intervals, slipping from a dominant position to 135/5 15-over mark.
Despite the setbacks, Kishan held one end together, anchoring the innings with a composed knock while wickets tumbled at the other end. The middle-order struggled to convert starts, and the sudden cluster of wickets slowed SRH's scoring rate after a flying start
In the 16th over, veteran spinner Sunil Narine cleaned up Salil Arora to claim his 200th wicket in IPL. In the same over after being smashed for a massive six, Narine removed SRH skipper Kishan for a well-made 42.
SRH continued to lose wickets as Anukul Roy in the following over got the better of Pat Cummins, after getting slammed for a big six.
Vaibhav Arora also applied pressure effectively, dismissing Shivang Kumar for just 1 and keeping the Sunrisers Hyderabad batters in check.
Kartik Tyagi put the finishing touches on the innings for Kolkata Knight Riders, dismissing Harshal Patel to bowl out Sunrisers Hyderabad for 165. (ANI)
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