Kolkata thumps Hyderabad by 80 runs in Indian Premier League

By Canadian Press on April 3, 2025.

KOLKATA, India (AP) — Venkatesh Iyer made a 25-ball half-century to propel defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders to a massive 80-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s Indian Premier League final.

The left-hander teed off in the final five overs to smash 60 off 29 balls as Kolkata cruised to 200-6 after Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to field at Eden Gardens.

Hyderabad couldn’t recover from the loss of three wickets in space of first 13 balls before eventually getting bowled out for 120 in 16.4 overs to lose its third straight game.

Kolkata’s big win lifted it from the bottom of the points table to No. 5 with four points.

Impact player Vaibhav Arora (3-29) removed Travis Head off his second ball and Ishan Kishan was brilliantly snapped by captain Ajinkya Rahane before the fast bowler closed out a brilliant spell by dismissing top-scorer Heinrich Klaasen for 33.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy then ran through the lower order with 3-22 and was denied a hat-trick after claiming the wickets of Cummins and Simarjeet Singh of successive balls in the final over.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

The Associated Press