Kolkata, April 2 – Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) posted the highest score of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, finishing at 226/8 in their 20 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Thursday, thanks to blistering knocks by Abhishek Sharma (48) and Heinrich Klaasen (52).
For KKR, pacer Blessing Muzarabani took 4-41, and despite the team conceding few runs in the later overs, they still face a tough challenge as they need to score at 11.3 runs per over.
Asked to bat first, SRH got off to a strong start, with Abhishek and Travis Head attacking the new-ball attack, which had errors in bowling too full and too short. Head scored 46 off 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes, while Abhishek scored 48 off 21, including four fours and as many sixes. The pair added 82 runs in under five overs, setting the tone for a massive score.
After Head was dismissed by Kartik Tyagi, Muzarabani pulled things back for KKR with a double strike in the eighth over – removing Abhishek and a aggressive Ishan Kishan quickly. Though Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy were expensive, Anukul Roy managed to hold his own by dismissing Aniket Verma, leaving SRH at 118/4 in 9.2 overs.
Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy (39 off 24 balls) then stabilized the innings with a crucial 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket, the second-highest for SRH in IPL history at that position. Whenever the bowlers made mistakes, the duo quickly sent the ball over the boundary – with Reddy also getting a reprieve from Chakaravarthy.
Although Nitish and Salil Arora were dismissed by Vaibhav Arora, Klaasen continued and maintained his composure to complete a fluent half-century – his first of the season. His 52 off 35 balls featured four boundaries and a six, ensuring SRH maintained momentum despite regular wickets.
Harsh Dubey then contributed with a brisk cameo, scoring successive boundaries off Arora in the 19th over. Muzarabani then claimed two more wickets in the final, including Klaasen, to finish with his first four-fer in the IPL. Despite the late wickets, SRH crossed the 220-mark on a pitch that 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
