Kolkata, April 2 – Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat delivered an impressive performance, taking 3 wickets for 21 runs, as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs. This victory marked their first win of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.
After SRH posted a total of 226/8, the highest score of the tournament so far, thanks to Heinrich Klaasen’s 52 and Abhishek Sharma’s 48, Unadkat’s spell was the key to their victory. He was well supported by Eshan Malinga, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harsh Dubey, who put constant pressure on KKR, who were eventually bowled out for 161.
This win was significant not only because it gave SRH their first two points, but also because it marked the first successful defense of a total in this year’s tournament. Apart from Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 52, KKR struggled against the disciplined SRH attack. The pacers were very effective with slower balls. As a result, they never really managed to chase down the target.
KKR’s chase began explosively as Finn Allen smashed 28 off just seven balls, including four boundaries and two sixes in the 25-run opening over bowled by David Payne. But Dubey dismissed Allen through a sharp caught and bowled chance.
Ajinkya Rahane and Raghuvanshi carried the momentum through a 37-run stand for the second wicket. Raghuvanshi, in particular, played well. However, SRH soon regained control as Unadkat dismissed Rahane with a slower ball. Cameron Green was then run out on the last ball of the sixth over, leaving KKR at 74/3.
Raghuvanshi continued to attack and reached his second consecutive fifty in 27 balls, before being run out for 52 in the 11th over. Nitish, with his accurate line, then dismissed Anukul Roy and Rinku Singh quickly, putting pressure on KKR.
Despite a brief counterattack from Sunil Narine, who hit two sixes in his 12-run cameo, Malinga dismissed him and Ramandeep Singh in successive overs. Unadkat then removed Kartik Tyagi and Varun Chakaravarthy to end with figures of 3-21 and secure their first win of the competition.
Previously, blistering knocks from Abhishek and Klaasen helped SRH post the highest total of the season. For KKR, pacer Blessing Muzarabani ended with 4-41, and despite the side not conceding much in the back-end overs, they still had a tough task.
After being put to bat, SRH got off to a flying start, with Abhishek and Travis Head tearing into the new-ball attack, who made mistakes in bowling too full and short. Head smashed 46 off 21 balls, with six fours and three sixes, while Abhishek struck 48 off 21 deliveries, including four fours and as many sixes. The pair added 82 runs in under five overs, setting the tone for a mammoth score.
After Head was dismissed by Tyagi, Muzarabani pulled things back for KKR with a double strike in the eighth over – removing Abhishek and a belligerent Ishan Kishan in quick succession. Though Narine and Chakaravarthy were expensive, Anukul Roy managed to hold his own by accounting for Aniket Verma, leaving SRH at 118/4 in 9.2 overs.
Klaasen and Reddy (39 off 24 balls) then steadied the innings with a crucial 82-run stand for the fifth wicket, the second-highest partnership for SRH in IPL history. Whenever the bowlers erred, the duo were quick to send the ball over the boundary ropes – with Reddy also given a reprieve by Chakaravarthy.
Though Nitish and Salil Arora fell to Vaibhav Arora, Klaasen continued and maintained his composure to complete a fluent half-century – his first of this season. His 52 off 35 balls featured four boundaries and a six, ensuring SRH maintained momentum despite regular wickets.
Dubey then chipped in with a brisk cameo, striking successive boundaries off Arora in the 19th over. Muzarabani then returned to claim two more wickets in the final, including Klaasen, to finish with his first four-fer in the IPL. Despite the late strikes, SRH crossed the 220-mark, which was more than sufficient to get them off the mark on the points table.
Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 226/8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 52, Abhishek Sharma 48; Blessing Muzarabani 4-41, Vaibhav Arora 2-47) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 161 all out in 16 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 52, Rinku Singh 35; Jaydev Unadkat 3-21, Eshan Malinga 2-14) by 65 runs