IPL 2025: KKR Captain Rahane Emphasizes the Importance of Winning by a Significant Margin Following 80-Run Triumph Over SRH
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Synopsis
Ajinkya Rahane, captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), emphasizes the significance of their 80-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2025. The match showcased a strong performance from both batsmen and bowlers, leading to KKR's commanding win at Eden Gardens, reinforcing lessons learned from previous matches.
Key Takeaways
- Rahane highlights the significance of winning by a large margin.
- KKR stabilized after a shaky start with key contributions from Rahane and Raghuvanshi.
- Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh's partnership proved crucial in setting a formidable total.
- KKR bowlers dominated, leading to a quick dismissal of SRH.
- Valuable lessons were learned regarding handling pressure situations.
Kolkata, April 3 (NationPress) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane highlighted the importance of his team's performance after their commanding 80-run victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 15 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, held at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
KKR's innings had a rocky start, with Quinton de Kock (1) and Sunil Narine (7) dismissed early. However, Rahane himself (38 off 27) and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi (50 off 32) stabilized the innings, ensuring that KKR maintained control.
"This match was incredibly significant for us, and winning by a substantial margin was essential. Batting first after losing the toss, we aimed to bowl first on this pitch. After losing two wickets, our focus shifted to consolidating, and once we had wickets in hand after 11-12 overs, the lower order could accelerate. We gained valuable insights from our mistakes. It’s crucial to stay present now. This game serves as a great learning opportunity for our batting unit," stated Rahane post-match.
The pivotal momentum shift occurred in the final overs, with Venkatesh Iyer (60 off 29) and Rinku Singh (32* off 17) launching a fierce attack during the death overs, adding 78 runs in the last five overs, propelling KKR to 200/6—well above their initial expectations.
"When Rinku and Venkatesh were at the crease, our plan was to score 50-60 runs in 30 balls. It was about playing normally for 15 overs and then stepping up. Initially, we thought a total of 170-180 would be excellent on this pitch, but we exceeded that thanks to the Rinku-Venkatesh partnership," Rahane added.
With a strong total set, KKR’s bowlers quickly took control. Vaibhav Arora struck on the second ball of the innings to dismiss Travis Head for 4. Harshit Rana then deceived Abhishek Sharma with a clever slower ball, leaving SRH in dire straits at 9/3 within three overs.
Varun Chakravarthy (3/22) dismantled the middle order while Sunil Narine delivered an economical spell, marking his 200th wicket for KKR. Andre Russell (2/20) wrapped up the tail, ensuring SRH was bowled out for a mere 120 in 17 overs.
Despite Moeen Ali being part of the XI, he was not called upon with bat or ball. "We had three quality spinners. Unfortunately, Moeen could not bowl tonight, but Sunny and Varun performed excellently, and credit goes to Vaibhav and Harshit as well," he concluded.
