Sunrisers Hyderabad comprehensively beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 110 runs thanks to Heinrich Klaasen’s record century and some amazing pace bowling by the men in orange to conclude their IPL 2025 season on a high note.
Travishek Give SRH a Flying Start
Opting to bat first, Sunrisers Hyderabad openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma got off to a flier as both showed a glimpse of their previous season’s form, combining as the pair took on KKR bowlers in the powerplay. They targeted Anrich Nortje and Harshit Rana’s overs, meanwhile, Vaibhav Arora was able to contain some runs, which led to SRH putting up a massive score of 79/0 at the end of the powerplay.
The duo continued their dominant batting display before Sunil Narine broke the 92(41) run stand and sent Abhishek Sharma 36(16) back to the pavilion. Heinrich Klaasen joined Travis Head in the middle and both went after the KKR bowling attack — and Diwali came early in Delhi as both batters were sending fireworks out of the stadium. In just a matter of 35 balls, the duo added an 85-run partnership before Sunil Narine got the better of Travis Head, who played an amazing knock of 76(40), which included 6 fours and 6 sixes, as SRH reached 175/2 at the end of 13 overs.
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Klassen’s Record-Breaking Century Lights Up Delhi
As Travis Head departed, Heinrich Klassen took over, bashing the bowlers all around the ground with no stopping. Ishan Kishan, who came in next, was a mere spectator as he watched his partner send maximums out of the ground. Another 83(36) run partnership between Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen pushed SRH to 258/3 at the end of 18.3 overs.
Heinrich Klassen, who was 98*(36), completed his century on the next ball, equalling the record for the fastest century (37 balls) by Yusuf Pathan in IPL history. This was the second-fastest century of the season, following a 35-ball ton by 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Klaasen remained unbeaten on 105*(39), and Aniket Verma added the finishing touch, pushing SRH to a final score of 278/3 at the end of 20 overs — their 4th highest total in IPL history.
KKR Start Briskly But Collapse Under Pressure
With a huge total to chase, KKR openers Sunil Narine and Quinton de Kock walked into the middle, and Pat Cummins opened the attack for SRH. Chasing 279, KKR had a solid start in the first over as Sunil Narine took on Cummins with some huge maximums, scoring 13 runs off the over. Little did we know, this would be their only big over in the powerplay. KKR lost two wickets Sunil Narine 31(16), who gave them the start, and Ajinkya Rahane 15(8) and ended the powerplay at 59/2.
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The grind got harder as KKR kept losing wickets in a hurry. Harsh Dubey’s first over of the match was a tombstone for KKR’s hopes, as he dismissed Rinku Singh and Andre Russell for single digits, reducing KKR to 81/5 at the 10-over mark.
KKR fell further as Angkrish Raghuvanshi was dismissed for 14(18), and Ramandeep Singh, who started well with two sixes, was bowled by Harsh Dubey for 13(5), as KKR lost 7 wickets for 110 runs by the end of 17 overs.
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Late Fight from Harshit Rana and Manish Pandey
With the game already done and dusted, Harshit Rana of all players played an entertaining cameo alongside Manish Pandey. Both showed amazing fight at the end, putting up a 52(22) run partnership before Pandey was dismissed. Harshit Rana played a fearless knock, showing what he’s capable of and giving a glimpse of what KKR might plan with him next season. His power-hitting knock of 34(21) was ended by Eshan Malinga, as KKR were bowled out for 168. Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 110 runs, marking the end of the road for both of last year's finalists.
SRH sort of took revenge for the first game this season, when KKR defeated them by 80 runs. Down the road, SRH returned the favor with a massive 110-run win. Both teams concluded their seasons finishing at 6th position (SRH) and 8th position (KKR) in the points table, respectively, with no impact on the top four of the table.
Summary of the SRH vs KKR Match
