Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad players
Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad players greet each other after the match. Image Credit: Sportzpics

Clinical Kolkata Knight Riders start with a 10-run win

Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders hardly put a foot wrong when they started their campaign in IPL XIV with a 10-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai today.

Chasing an imposing target of 188 for a win, the Sunrisers were off to a disastrous start as they lost both their openers - skipper David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha with only 10 runs on the board.

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A defiant 92-run partnership between the in-form Jonny Bairstow (55) and Manish Pandey (unbeaten 61) kept them in the chase, while young Abdul Samad struck a few lusty blows in the end  to try and make a match of it but it was still not enough.

Earlier, a magnificent 80 as an opener by Nitish Rana (56 balls, 9 fours & four sixes) and a classy 53 (29 balls, 5 boundaries & two sixes) by Rahul Tripathi spurred the Kolkata Knight Riders to a potentially winning total of 187 for six after they were went in.




Kolkata Knight Riders players
Kolkata Knight Riders players celebrates the wicket of Jonny Bairstow of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Image Credit: Sportzpics




Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow of Sunrisers Hyderabad raises his bat after scoring a fifty. Image Credit: Sportzpics




Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan (left) of Kolkata Knight Riders celebrates the wicket of Wriddhiman Saha of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Image Credit: Sportzpics




Prasidh Krishna of Kolkata Knight Riders celebrates the wicket of David Warner of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Prasidh Krishna of Kolkata Knight Riders celebrates the wicket of David Warner of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Image Credit: Sportzpics


HALF TIME REPORT: Knights pile up a daunting total against Sunrisers

Kolkata: A magnificent 80 as an opener by Nitish Rana (56 balls, 9 fours & four sixes) and a classy 53 (29 balls, 5 boundaries & two sixes) by Rahul Tripathi spurred the Kolkata Knight Riders to a potentially winning total of 187 for six against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai this evening.

Being sent into bat, Rana and Shubhman Gill put up 53 runs for the first wicket - the best effort from Knights openers in a while. If Rana stole the thunder, No.3 Tripathi played his part as the duo put together a 97-run stand for the second wicket.

It will need a resolute effort from the Sunrisers batting line-up on a challenging Chepauk wicket now.

Anis Sajan, cricket enthusiast


T Natarajan
T Natarajan (centre) of Sunrisers Hyderabad along with teammates celebrate the wicket of Rahul Tripathi of Kolkata Knight Riders. Image Credit: Sportzpics




Rahul Tripathi of Kolkata Knight Riders plays a shot.
Rahul Tripathi of Kolkata Knight Riders plays a shot. Image Credit: Sportzpics










Rashid Khan of Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrates the wicket of Shubman Gill of Kolkata Knight Riders.
Rashid Khan of Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrates the wicket of Shubman Gill of Kolkata Knight Riders. Image Credit: Sportzpics



Nitish Rana of Kolkata Knight Riders plays a shot.
Nitish Rana of Kolkata Knight Riders plays a shot. Image Credit: Sportzpics



Sandeep Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad bowls.
Sandeep Sharma of Sunrisers Hyderabad bowls. Image Credit: Sportzpics





Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan (left) with captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad David Warner durig the toss.
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan (left) with captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad David Warner durig the toss. Image Credit: Sportzpics






Sunrisers, Knight Riders in absorbing battle

Kolkata: Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to keep up their reputation for consistency in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when they open their campaign against a gritty Kolkata Knight Riders at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai today.

In what could be a battle of spinners on a slow Chepauk track, both sides look well-equipped with the devastating Rashid Khan leading the attack for Sunrisers while the Knights have plenty of options to choose from in their time-tested mystery spinner Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and the veteran Harbhajan Singh.

The two teams are the ones with overseas captains in this edition of the league - with Australian David Warner turning out to be a talismanic figure for the Sunrisers ever since winning the trophy almost singe-handedly for them in 2016. Eoin Morgan, who has come a long way since being a winning team for KKR in 2012, has matured as leader and will have the benefit of leading the team from the first game.

Anis Sajan, cricket enthusiast

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