Revenge is orange!! SRH storm KKR's fortress by 65 runs and leave Eden Gardens in ruins

Sunrisers Hyderabad stormed back to winning ways with a commanding 65-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Thursday, April 2, becoming the first team in IPL 2026 to successfully defend a total , a feat no side had managed in the opening five games of the season.

The toss had gone six out of six times to the team that chose to bowl first this season, and chasing sides had won every single game before this one. SRH bucked that trend in the most emphatic fashion possible.

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma came out blazing, sharing a stunning 82-run opening stand off just 34 balls to give SRH the perfect launchpad. Head blazed 46 off 21 balls before being dismissed, while Abhishek chipped in with 47 off 19 balls , combining power and placement to devastating effect. When wickets fell in the middle overs, Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy rescued SRH with a punishing late charge, helping SRH post a formidable 226/8 .

KKR began their chase brightly, with Finn Allen smashing 28 off just 7 balls and Angkrish Raghuvanshi top-scoring with a gutsy 52 , showing real fight with the bat. However, a costly run-out ended his resistance and shifted the momentum entirely. Once Raghuvanshi fell, KKR's innings crumbled. SRH's bowlers were relentless with their lines and lengths, giving KKR no room whatsoever. Jaydev Unadkat led the bowling with a vital three-wicket haul , and KKR were bowled out for 161 , never truly threatening the target.

The defeat was particularly stinging for KKR, who had Cameron Green in the XI but unable to bowl due to a back injury, and were also missing Matheesha Pathirana . It was also Ajinkya Rahane's 200th IPL match , a milestone that deserved far better than a consolation evening.

For SRH, Ishan Kishan's captaincy was assured, his team's execution clinical, and their message to the rest of the IPL unmistakable. The Sunrisers are well and truly alive.