SRH thrash KKR by 110 runs in a high-scoring IPL clash

KATHMANDU: Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), already out of the IPL playoff race, ended their season on a high with a dominant 110-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday in a thrilling, high-scoring encounter.

Batting first after winning the toss, Hyderabad posted a mammoth total of 278 for 3 in their 20 overs — the third-highest total in IPL history.

South African powerhouse Heinrich Klaasen starred with a blistering unbeaten century, smashing 105 runs off just 39 balls.

He brought up his century in only 37 balls, marking the third-fastest century in IPL history.

Opening batsman Travis Head gave SRH a flying start with a quickfire 76 off 40 balls, while Abhishek Sharma added 32 from 16 deliveries. Ankit Verma contributed a late cameo with 12* off 6 balls.

In reply, Kolkata never got going under scoreboard pressure and were bowled out for 168 in 18.4 overs, falling short by 110 runs. Manish Pandey top-scored with 37 off 23 balls, while Harshit Rana and Sunil Narine chipped in with 34 runs each.

However, the rest of the batting lineup failed to deliver.

Hyderabad’s bowlers put up a clinical performance. Jaydev Unadkat led the attack with 3 wickets for 24 runs in 4 overs.

Asan Malinga and Harsh Dubey also took 3 wickets each, conceding 31 and 34 runs respectively.

This commanding win saw SRH finish sixth in the table with 13 points. KKR, on the other hand, concluded their disappointing campaign in eighth place with 12 points.

Hyderabad’s 278 is only behind their own record of 287 against Royal Challengers Bangalore last season and Rajasthan Royals’ 286 earlier this season — underlining their prowess with the bat, even in a non-playoff season.