Kolkata, April 2 (IANS) Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) rode on blistering knocks by Abhishek Sharma (48) and Heinrich Klaasen (52) to post the highest total of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season by finishing at 226/8 in their 20 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.
For KKR, pacer Blessing Muzarabani ended with 4-41, and despite the side not conceding much in the back-end overs, they still have an uphill mountain to climb as they need to complete the chase at 11.3 runs per over.
Asked to bat first, SRH got off to a flying start, with Abhishek and Travis Head tearing into the new-ball attack, who erred in bowling too full and short. Head smashed 46 off 21 balls, laced with six fours and three sixes, while Abhishek struck 48 off 21, including four fours and as many sixes. The pair added 82 runs in under five overs, setting the tone for a mammoth score.
After Head was taken out by Kartik Tyagi, Muzarabani pulled things back for KKR with a double strike in the eighth over – removing Abhishek and a belligerent Ishan Kishan in quick succession. Though Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy were expensive, Anukul Roy managed to hold his own by accounting for Aniket Verma, leaving SRH at 118/4 in 9.2 overs.
Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy (39 off 24 balls) steadied the innings with a crucial 82-run stand for the fifth wicket, the second-highest for SRH in IPL history at that position. Whenever the bowlers erred, the duo were quick to send the ball over the boundary ropes – with Reddy also given a reprieve by Chakaravarthy.
Though Nitish and Salil Arora fell to Vaibhav Arora, Klaasen carried on and maintained his composure to complete a fluent half-century – his first of this season. His 52 off 35 balls featured four boundaries and a six, ensuring SRH maintained momentum despite regular wickets.
Harsh Dubey chipped in with a brisk cameo, striking successive boundaries off Arora in the 19th over. Muzarabani returned to claim two more wickets in the final, including Klaasen, to finish with his first four-fer in the IPL. Despite the late strikes, SRH crossed the 220-mark on a pitch that has aided strokeplay.
Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 226/8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 52, Abhishek Sharma 48; Blessing Muzarabani 4-41, Vaibhav Arora 2-47) against Kolkata Knight Riders
–IANS
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