Like a runaway train stopped in its tracks, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting pyrotechnics – so often relentless and unstoppable – were brought to a screeching halt by Kolkata Knight Riders. And once that momentum slipped away, the home side never quite recovered.
“We just lost wickets in crucial times and in T20 games, even if you have momentum, if the opposition goes hard it’s really hard to regain the momentum,” head coach Daniel Vettori stated after the Sunrisers registered its first defeat in six IPL matches.
“160 is incredibly difficult to defend even if the wicket was a bit slow. But we had enough fight after the powerplay to give a small chance. But they managed to chase really well.”
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SRH fell short of the imposing total it had threatened. Even one set batter carrying on till the end might have pushed it close to or beyond the 200-run mark. Instead, KKR’s spin duo, Varun Chakravarthy (3/36) and Sunil Narine (2/31), applied the brakes with precision.
“The wickets of Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen… had any of them continued it would have been different but KKR bowled really well. Chakravarthy was able to take wickets, even if we put him under pressure early on.”
“Losing games is always hard and it is imperative for us to regain the winning momentum and in that context, the next game against Punjab Kings is a most important one for us,” he concluded.
Published on May 04, 2026