At Kolkata’s famed Eden Gardens, the 15th IPL 2025 match featured an exciting battle between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In an attempt to take advantage of the pitch conditions, SRH chose to bowl first after winning the toss.
Given that KKR’s blazing openers fizzled, their choice appeared to pay off early. The aggressive Sunil Narine was outscored by 7 runs off 7 balls, while Quinton de Kock, who was in form, only managed 1 run off 6 balls. KKR was in serious trouble at 16/2 in 2.3 overs.
The innings was then stabilised by captain Ajinkya Rahane, who formed an important 81-run partnership with youthful Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Their tenacity helped KKR get back on track. On a difficult batting pitch, Venkatesh Iyer performed a spectacular performance towards the finish, blasting 60 runs off just 29 balls and leading KKR to a commanding total of 200/6 in 20 overs.
SRH responded with difficulty from the beginning. During the powerplay, Travis Head (4), Abhishek Sharma (2), and Ishan Kishan (2) failed to make an impact, and their top order fell apart. With their disciplined bowling, KKR’s new-ball duo of Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana denied SRH any breathing room.
At 72/5 at the midway point, SRH was in disarray. With the exception of Heinrich Klaasen, who battled valiantly to knock 33 runs off 21 balls, no other batter was able to reach the 30-run threshold as wickets continued to fall. In the end, SRH was eliminated after losing by an overwhelming 80 runs, the largest margin of defeat in IPL history.
Important Achieved Milestones for Players in KKR vs SRH, Match 15
- Sunrisers Hyderabad: Biggest loss margin for SRH in IPL (80 runs);
- Sunil Narine: Completed 200 Wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders;
- Travis Head: Played his 150th T20;
- Rinku Singh: Played his 50th Match for KKR
- Varun Chakravarthy: Completed 100 T20 wickets in India;
- Venkatesh Iyer: Most 50-plus scores for KKR in IPL since 2021.
India
