Kolkata, April 2 — Heinrich Klaasen’s composed 52 off 35 balls and Blessing Muzarabani’s four-wicket haul powered Sunrisers Hyderabad to a 65-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Thursday. SRH posted 226 for 8 after electing to bat, and then bowled out KKR for 161 in 16 overs to hand the hosts their second straight defeat of the season.
Sunrisers’ innings was driven by a blistering opening stand and a steady middle-order rebuild. Travis Head (46 off 21) and Abhishek Sharma (48 off 21) put on 82 in just 34 balls, racing the score along a true Eden surface. When the boundary flow slowed, Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy (39 off 24) steadied the innings with an 82-run partnership off 53 balls, keeping the run rate healthy. Klaasen rotated strike well and found the occasional boundary, while Nitish mixed aggression with smart running to take SRH to a challenging total.
Kolkata’s chase never recovered from a chaotic middle phase. Kiwi opener Finn Allen flashed 28 off seven balls before Harsh Dubey dismissed him, and youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi showed promise with a breezy 52 (29 balls). But a series of mix-ups and run-outs, including a confused dismissal that sent expensive buy Cameron Green back for two, wrecked KKR’s momentum. Vice-captain Rinku Singh offered brief resistance with 35 off 25, but wickets fell in clusters and partnerships failed to form.
SRH bowlers were clinical. Blessing Muzarabani returned 4 for 41, while left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat took 3 for 21 and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ehsan Malinga finished with two wickets apiece, restricting KKR well short of the target. KKR’s bowling was punished early; Varun Chakravarthy leaked 25 in a single over and finished with 0/31, and Sunil Narine went wicketless in his four overs.
The result underlined KKR’s frailties in the middle overs and highlighted SRH’s balance between explosive starts and measured consolidation, a combination that produced the imposing 226-run total and ultimately secured the win.
Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 226 for 8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 52; Blessing Muzarabani 4/41). Kolkata Knight Riders 161 all out in 16 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 52; Jaydev Unadkat 3/21, Nitish Kumar Reddy 2/17, Ehsan Malinga 2/14).
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/04/03/kkr-slump-continues-as-klaasen-guides-srh-to-65-run-victory/
Category: SPORTS
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Publish Date: 2026-04-03 06:48:00
