The contest between KKR and SRH was an electrifying one that left fans on edge. It featured breathtaking batting performances as well as skilled bowling.
Heinrich Klaasen’s unbeaten 105 off 39 balls for South Road Hibernian was the highlight of their innings against Kolkata Knight Riders after Pat Cummins won the toss in Delhi. However, their collapse was swift as Jaydev Unadkat, Harsh Dubey and Eshan Malinga all claimed three wickets each to swiftly bring down KKR’s innings total.
In this article, we will discuss the main points or high lights of Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders Match Scorecard.
Here are the last five IPL matches between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in reverse chronological order:
| Date | Venue | Winner | Margin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 May 2025 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | SRH | 110 runs | SRH’s first win in this fixture since 2024; a dominant batting display |
| 3 Apr 2025 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | KKR | 80 runs | KKR’s commanding win in early 2025 |
| 26 May 2024 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | KKR | 8 wickets | IPL 2024 Final – KKR clinched title over SRH |
| 21 May 2024 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | KKR | 8 wickets | Qualifier 1 – KKR prevailed in the playoffs Wikipedia |
| 23 Mar 2024 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | KKR | 4 runs | Regular season clash – KKR edged it |
SRH’s innings
This season has not been kind to SRH’s batting, with David Warner and Jonny Bairstow leading an effective top order, yet their middle order and inconsistent selections limited them to only seven wins and finishing sixth overall – leading them to an unexpected playoffs loss against Delhi Capitals; nonetheless their superior net run rate gave hope of another playoff run and they drafted Mohammad Nabi at auction.
With Nabi at the helm, SRH’s approach to batting has seen significant improvements since they started using him as captain. They now rely less heavily on top order batsmen while turning more to support from lower order players and looking for support from lower orders instead. This strategy has proven successful on wickets that favour bowlers while on others where par scores range between 170-180 they have struggled.
Against KKR, SRH’s batsmen finally put in an outstanding performance they have been lacking for some time. Travis Head laid down an aggressive 76 off 40 balls that unsettled KKR spinners and propelled SRH to an impressive 92 for 2 powerplay total.
Heinrich Klaasen then transformed the game for Royals, scoring an unbeaten 105 off only 39 balls – an unbeaten century that included nine sixes, was the joint third fastest century in IPL history and punished anything short or full with precision, hitting it straight to the boundary every time he batted. Bhuvneshwar Kumar followed suit, scoring 57-ball 86 while Ishan Kishan contributed an invaluable 41-ball 40 to help seal victory for RPS.
But despite an impressive batting display from KKR, SRH’s bowlers kept them at bay. Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine took the brunt of Klaasen’s hard hitting, conceding 39 and 42 runs respectively to his ruthlessness; Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishan Kishan picked up three wickets each to help SRH limit them to 144 for 9. KKR added some late fireworks with Manish Pandey-Harshit Rana partnership of 52 runs but they could never mount an effective challenge; now sitting at the bottom of the table; just one point above eighth placed SRH who may secure playoff spot should they beat Lucknow Super Giants by winning their final league match this Friday against Lucknow Super Giants.
KKR’s innings
Heinrich Klaasen was instrumental in helping Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Kolkata Knight Riders and win their final match of the season at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. Kolkata were all out for 168 runs after Harsh Dubey took three wickets while Thisara Perera and Cameron White also produced notable performances for SRH.
KKR experienced an underwhelming start to their season, finishing at the bottom with just two wins. Following some changes during the second half, their fortunes improved immensely – particularly their top order batting lineup of Brendon McCullum, Gautam Gambhir and Jonny Bairstow who performed admirably later on in the tournament but were unfortunately unable to secure playoff positions.
At first, the team struggled early in 2024 season but saw an upturn after David Warner returned from suspension. David and Jonny Bairstow performed brilliantly alongside an aggressive middle order; making it to semifinals where they lost to Delhi Capitals in eliminator.
Starting off their next season on an impressive note by winning their opening four matches, SRH suffered a heavy defeat against Gujarat Titans that put them sixth on the points table before rebounding with three consecutive victories against them and an unbeatable three-match winning streak against them.
Hyderabad Franchise signed some big names in order to defend their title this season, including Thisara Perera, Darren Sammy, Nathan McCullum, Sudeep Tyagi and Quinton de Kock. Although they experienced their first loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore early on in their campaign, they quickly rebounded with multiple victories throughout the season.
KKR’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad marked a fitting way to end this season. Even despite losing five consecutive matches, they remain sixth on the points table (Lucknow Super Giants can overtake them with victory in their final league match) – giving KKR an opportunity to build upon their strong finish against SRH and improve their record against them.
SRH’s bowling
SRH’s bowlers delivered an outstanding field performance despite the batting unit failing to gel, and Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga and Harsh Dubey all took three wickets each to deny KKR any chance at an upset victory and secure sixth-place. It marked their inaugural win of the season and ensured them a place on the final podium table.
KKR’s batsmen failed to capitalize on an impressive start by their openers and fail to form partnerships, allowing their opponents to score 200 runs without incident. It was an embarrassing display from KKR which left its fans dissatisfied and disappointed.
Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bowl first on a pitch that was expected to spin, with South Reading Highland’s bowlers not disappointing, dispatching 14 yorkers or full tosses in 16 overs of KKR innings compared with only three instances previously in IPL history when teams bowling first delivered over 13 yorkers or full tosses (excluding innings where defense is taking place from this statistic).
Heinrich Klaasen’s remarkable century and Travis Head’s fifty helped Sunrisers Hyderabad achieve 278/3, the third-highest total ever reached in IPL history and their fourth consecutive time surpassing 300 total runs.
Ishan Kishan was also instrumental in the run chase, rotating strike and finding gaps effortlessly. His partnership with Klaasen ensured a rapid pace on the board.
Klaasen made an impressive innings, yet KKR were still short of their target with seven balls remaining. Moeen Ali took two for 23 wickets for KKR but this wasn’t enough to give them any hope of victory as late collapse saw them miss their target by over three runs. This was an unfortunate end to KKR’s season; moving forward they must focus on improving both batting and bowling performances in order to qualify for next year’s playoffs and hope they return with improved results against Delhi Daredevils this time round.
KKR’s bowling
KKR’s bowling has struggled recently and could prove costly against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). To make a push for the playoffs, they need to find their best form and Sunil Narine is an option who could help improve performance – taking wickets with both slower balls and variations, deceiving even the most in-form batsmen, making him a key asset for KKR.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have been less impressive this season after an outstanding showing in 2017. After nine matches played so far this season, they have only managed two wins and currently sit sixth on the table. Still, some promising players remain and should enable them to compete against top teams.
However, they will need to address their difficulties in terms of both batting and bowling. Their team must take a more disciplined approach in terms of mistakes made – otherwise, they won’t be able to compete against top teams.
They must also focus on playing to their strengths and winning matches, without over-relying on big-hitting batsmen for attack; fielding practice must also be improved, along with tactical planning strategies.
Both teams have met 28 times in the IPL, and KKR holds a narrow edge with 19 victories against SRH. Both boast impressive talent and passionate fan bases; thus their matches often produce scintillating cricket.
SRH have struggled this season with their batting, failing to reach 300 runs for any innings. Their middle order has been severely hit by injuries and are failing to build on half centuries from Heinrich Klaasen and Kamindu Mendis. Their inconsistent performances have contributed to a boom-or-bust mentality and they will need to change their strategy if they hope to come away victorious from this match.