Kolkata, April 3 – Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Ishan Kishan praised his team's collective effort after their dominant 65-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash at Eden Gardens, stating he was pleased to see every player contribute to the team's first win of the season.
“It wasn't just about my performance, but the performance of the entire team. It’s always about the team. I'm really happy to see everyone contributing and putting in their best effort, which is what I asked for before the game,” Kishan said after the match.
He credited Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma for setting the tone with a powerful Powerplay partnership, scoring 82 runs. “Yes, I think Head and Abhishek played excellent innings, and those 80 runs in the Powerplay made the game easier for us because every batter got the opportunity to score singles and understand the pitch conditions. I want to give credit to both batters and Klassy for their excellent performance,” he added.
Regarding the bowling, Kishan highlighted the importance of early breakthroughs, like Harsh Dubey dismissing Finn Allen. “Our plan was to take wickets early, and we were lucky enough to get Finn Allen's wicket. I’m also happy with the performance of the bowlers, who executed their plans effectively. Harsh has also been performing well for his domestic team,” Kishan said.
He also praised debutant Shivang Kumar for his fearless approach. “I want to talk about Shivang today, as he bowled exceptionally well, especially against Rinku. He understood the game conditions and bowled with confidence. His hard work paid off, and he delivered well for the team,” Kishan added.
Kishan acknowledged that fielding remains an area for improvement. “We are learning from our mistakes in each game. Fielding is something we need to work on as a team. We cannot afford to concede 20-odd runs in every game. We will focus on improving our fielding as a team,” he said.
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane attributed KKR's defeat to a slump in the middle overs. “I thought we had some good partnerships. Our set batsmen needed to stay at the crease and take the team to the end. We were doing well in the first 7-8 overs. But we lost momentum in the middle overs,” Rahane said.
Rahane also commented on the pitch conditions. “I felt the ball was slightly stopping in the second innings, and the slower balls were gripping more than in the first innings. We expected the pitch to improve, but it didn't. However, we still had a good start. We scored 78 runs in the first six overs. We lost a wicket and Green was run out. But apart from that, we were doing well. The middle overs were crucial for us, and we needed those partnerships from our set batsmen. But unfortunately, they didn’t happen,” Rahane added.
Rahane emphasized the importance of winning home games. “Winning a home game is crucial. We need to focus on our team combination and strengths. We need to get more partnerships going and support each other. We had a good start, but we needed those partnerships from our set batsmen. I think if the batters can maintain this positive mindset and awareness, we will be fine,” he concluded.