Kolkata, April 3: In the sixth match of IPL 2026, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 65 runs at Eden Gardens on Thursday. After securing their first victory of the season, captain Ishan Kishan credited the opening partnership of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head for making the match easier for SRH.
Post-match, Kishan highlighted the team’s collective effort in achieving the win. He stated, “I was pleased with everyone’s contributions. I don’t think the pitch was very good. Head and Abhishek made the game easier for us. It was a complete team effort. Our plan was to take wickets. Harsh bowled well, and we were fortunate to get that wicket. Harsh has been performing well for his home team. I would also like to mention Shivang; he bowled exceptionally well and with great confidence. Shivang did his job brilliantly for us.”
Despite the victory, Kishan emphasized the need for improvement in the team’s fielding for upcoming matches. He remarked, “Fielding is an area we need to work on as a team. A difference of 10-20 runs can be significant.” Nitish Kumar Reddy was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his impressive performance, scoring 39 runs off 24 balls and taking two wickets.
Batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a total of 226 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Heinrich Klaasen scored 52 runs, while Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head contributed 48 and 46 runs, respectively. In response, Kolkata Knight Riders were bowled out for 161 runs, with Angkrish Raghuwanshi top-scoring with 52 runs, followed by Rinku Singh with 35 runs.
After the defeat, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane noted that the lack of solid partnerships led to the team’s downfall. He said, “Yes, I felt we needed some big partnerships. The players who settled in should have carried the innings forward. I believe we made a good comeback in bowling. When chasing a target, you need big partnerships, but we didn’t get that.”
Regarding the pitch conditions in the second innings, Rahane commented, “In the second innings, I felt the ball was coming a bit slower. Compared to the first innings, slower balls were gripping more. We thought the wicket would be better, but it became slower. However, I’m not making excuses. SRH utilized the slower balls well, and the angles they used were indeed very good. Winning home matches is crucial, so we need to sit back and think about our team combination and whether we need an extra batsman. It was just a bad day.”
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