Rahane hails KKR bowlers after dominant win over SRH

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane praised his team’s bowling unit after their strong comeback performance helped them secure a convincing seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. Meanwhile, SRH skipper Pat Cummins admitted his side fell short of a competitive total despite a flying start.

“Very good game. The way we came back with the ball. Looked like they will get 190-200. It was a good wicket to bat on. 190-200 would’ve been challenging to chase. But credit to our bowling unit, especially the spinners. They kept taking wickets. Those small moments are really important, really happy with the win,” Rahane said after the match.

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Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders bowled out SRH for 165 in 19 overs, led by a disciplined effort from Varun Chakaravarthy, who picked up three wickets.

SRH had got off to a blazing start, with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma attacking from the outset. The team raced to 71/1 in the powerplay, with Head smashing a 22-ball fifty and eventually scoring 61 off 28 balls. However, once Head was dismissed, the innings lost momentum.

KKR bowlers tightened their grip, with Sunil Narine and Kartik Tyagi taking two wickets each. Ishan Kishan tried to steady the innings with a 42-run knock, but regular wickets meant SRH could not build partnerships and ended with a below-par total.

Cummins reflected on the missed opportunity: “Well, not our best day. We got off to a pretty good start. And then after that, we weren’t at our sharpest. Probably from where we were, we should have found a way to get higher, you know, up around 200 or past 180. But not to be.”

Chasing 166, KKR began cautiously before Finn Allen injected momentum with a quick 29 off 13 balls. After his dismissal, Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi took charge of the innings. Raghuvanshi top-scored with a composed 59 off 47 balls, while Rahane contributed 43 off 36. Their 84-run partnership put KKR firmly in control of the chase.

Rahane credited the team’s preparation and support staff: “The bowling unit has been doing really well last 5-6 games. Credit to our bowling coaches – Bravo and Southee. During practice sessions, lot of talking, lot of planning, different oppositions, different grounds. It’s all about planning and executing. Here and there you will go for runs, but as long as you’re clear in your head, that’s important.”

Even after losing both set batters towards the end, Rinku Singh and Cameron Green finished the chase comfortably with 10 balls to spare.

Cummins admitted that his team failed to adapt in the latter half of the innings: “I think you just got to adapt. I actually thought, 180 was where it started. I thought the way we chose our match-ups really well. And probably the second half didn’t quite choose the moments, myself included.”

Rahane also reserved special praise for Chakaravarthy’s comeback performance: “Really happy for him (Varun C). He was struggling before the tournament and even going into the tournament – first couple of games. The way he came back was amazing. He was always confident. Works really hard, great attitude. You want players like him to do something for the team in tough situations. He’s been bowling the tough overs. I’m sure he will continue his performance.”

Rahane summed up the team’s approach moving forward: “That win was important going into the break. Had 2-3 practice sessions. It’s all about being mentally fresh. Need to identify what areas you can improve. Support staff has been doing really well. Even though we lost the first 5 matches, atmosphere was really calm. The group which we have at the moment, really amazing.”

For KKR, the win was third in nine outings this IPL season, and the three-time champions will hope to keep the momentum going as they are required to win all five remaining games to keep their playoff hopes alive.