Pune: Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 54 runs in a must-win IPL game here on Saturday.
Opting to bat, KKR rode on Andre Russell’s counterattacking 28-ball 49 not out to post a fighting 177 for six.
In reply, SRH could manage 123 for 8 in their stipulated 20 overs with opener Abhishek Sharma top scoring with a 28-ball 43 and Aiden Markram scoring a 25-ball 32.
Earlier, Russell and Sam Billings (34) shared a 63-run partnership to take KKR across the 150-mark after they were 94 for five in the 12th over.
With Russell going strong, KKR scored 58 in the last five overs.
Ajinkya Rahane (28) and Nitish Rana (26) also got starts but couldn’t extend their innings.
For SRH, Umran Malik (3/33) was back in form with a three-wicket haul, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/27), Marco jansen (1/30) and T Natarajan (1/43) also claimed one wicket each.
Russell also chipped in with the ball, taking three wickets for 22, while rest of the bowlers — Umesh Yadav (1/19), Tim Southee (2/23), Sunil Narine (1/34) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/25) were also among wickets.
Brief Score:
Kolkata Knight Riders: 177 for 6 in 20 overs (Andre Russell 49 not out; Umran Malik 3/33).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 123 for 8 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 43; Andre Russell 3/22).
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Neha Khan | 
