KKR vs SRH Highlights, IPL 2026: Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi seal dominant seven-wicket win over SRH

A quick word - Rovman Powell presents the Orange Cap to Abhishek Sharma before a chat with the broadcasters. Rovman reflects on KKR's clinical bowling performance, noting that the primary strategy was to pressure SRH’s dangerous top order. Rovman. Powell credits the team's success to their spin duo, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, and says that he is really satisfied after seeing Varun back among the wickets after a commendable effort. On his catch, Powell explains the tactical positioning required in the field, where he stays closer to the action to prevent easy doubles while remaining alert enough to snag sharp chances. Rovman also praises Ajinkya Rahane's contributions, saying that the team’s philosophy is that the fielding unit must actively hunt for wickets to support the bowlers. Powell concludes by saying that the target is below par on a good batting surface, though he cautions that scoring may become slightly more challenging as the ball loses its shine.

KKR spinners turn the tide - It was a tale of two halves for the KKR bowling unit. They were initially shell-shocked by the SRH openers, but the composure shown by the slow bowlers brought them roaring back into the contest. Varun Chakaravarthy was the standout performer with 3 crucial wickets, while Narine’s 2 wickets ensured the pressure never eased. Collectively, the spinners bowled nine overs, yielding 75 runs but snaring 6 vital wickets, effectively breaking the back of the SRH batting line-up and handing KKR the upper hand. Sunil Narine also became the first overseas player to take 200 scalps in the history of IPL.

The Head-start and the spin-choke - Travis Head was once again the protagonist for SRH, bludgeoning a rapid half-century and powering his side to a blistering 71 runs in the Powerplay. However, the narrative shifted dramatically the moment Ajinkya Rahane introduced Varun as he triggered the collapse by stifling the scoring, and Sunil Narine soon joined the party to tighten the screws. The spin-choke was so effective that SRH crumbled from a comfortable 117/2 to being bundled out for a mere 165, losing their way against the turning ball.

SRH stumble after an explosive start - The Sunrisers Hyderabad will walk back to the dugout with heavy hearts, knowing they’ve left plenty of runs on the table after being bowled out for 165 in 19 overs. After winning the toss and electing to bat on what appeared to be a genuinely batting-friendly deck, the home side looked set for a massive total. The top three continued their fine form, providing a platform that screamed 200 plus, but a sudden middle-order collapse saw the momentum evaporate. From a commanding position, the innings derailed completely, leaving them with a total that feels subpar given the conditions.

Kartik Tyagi to Harshal Patel, OUT! CAUGHT! That's that for the SRH innings. A job well done by KKR to bowl the home side out for 165. Tyagi rolls his fingers over the ball and bangs it in short, over off. Patel tries to take it on with the pull but fails to get on top of the bounce. It is skewed off a top edge to short fine leg, where Vaibhav Arora moves to his left and completes the catch.

Kartik Tyagi to Eshan Malinga, Hurls it on a nagging length, on middle. Malinga covers the line and pushes it in front of mid off before hurrying to the other end.

Kartik Tyagi to Eshan Malinga, Full and angling across. Eshan Malinga stays rooted to the crease and prods at the ball tentatively. Gets beaten all ends up on the outside edge.

Kartik Tyagi to Harshal Patel, Honing in on top of off at 143.1 kph, Harshal stands tall and plays it on the up to deep cover for a single.

Kartik Tyagi to Harshal Patel, Fuller and in the channel, Patel throws his hands at the ball but is beaten for pace.

Kartik Tyagi to replace Anukul Roy. 

Kartik Tyagi to Harshal Patel, FOUR! Gets it away! Tyagi takes pace off and digs it in short, outside off. Harshal reaches out and flashes at it. Gets it off the toe end and it goes right through the gap between short third and backward point for a boundary.

Vaibhav Arora to Eshan Malinga, Off-cutter, bowled into the surface. It goes across the left-hander and Eshan makes the leave.

Vaibhav Arora to Harshal Patel, Arora goes searching for the yorker and gets a bit of tail back into the right-hander. It comes out as a low full toss and Patel pushes it to long off for one.

Vaibhav Arora to Eshan Malinga, Dipping low full toss, outside off. Malinga hits it down to long on for a single.

Vaibhav Arora to Eshan Malinga, Wide! Down leg, full in length, Malinga misses out on the tickle.

Vaibhav Arora to Eshan Malinga, Very full, across off. Eshan drops his bat down but is late in doing so.

Vaibhav Arora to Eshan Malinga, Beaten! Pushed across the left-hander, on a good length. Malinga looks to punch it away but the ball leaves him with the angle.

Eshan Malinga is the last batter out in the middle for SRH. 

Vaibhav Arora to Shivang Kumar, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Another one bites the dust. Short and wide down the leg side, Shivang Kumar has a swipe at it but misses as the keeper gathers the ball behind the stumps. Angkrish Raghuvanshi goes up in an appeal, as does the bowler. Anukul Roy at cover also has heard something and he comes charging in. Ajinkya Rahane checks with the bowler and the keeper before taking the review in the nick of time. The UltraEdge comes up with a spike when the ball is next to the glove. The on-field decision is overturned.

Skipper Pat is gone, and Harshal Patel replaces him in the middle. 

Is that a fair catch? Anukul Roy looks really confident about grabbing this cleanly. The umpires have sent this upstairs for an official check. Replay shows that the fingers of Anukul Roy are underneath the ball. OUT flashes on the big screen. 

Anukul Roy to Pat Cummins, OUT! CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Anukul Roy strikes now. Very full, wide on off. Cummins reaches out to force it away on the off side. The bat turns in his hands and he miscues it down the strip. Roy gets low with his hands out in front to take the catch in front of his left boot. No real excitement from Roy while claiming the catch, but he looks confident. The third umpire is summoned for a check and the replays confirm that Anukul had gotten his fingers under the ball to take the catch.

Anukul Roy to Pat Cummins, Spears in a full ball, on middle. Pat digs it out back to the bowler.

Anukul Roy to Pat Cummins, SIX! Long enough! A half-tracker by Roy, wide on off. Cummins reaches out and flat bats it down the ground. Rinku Singh at long on was in business for a moment but eventually watched it sail over his head.

Anukul Roy to Shivang Kumar, Drops it short, on off, Kumar punches it away to deep cover and crosses over. The 150 is up for SRH.

Anukul Roy to Pat Cummins, Darted in at the hips, Cummins shovels it to deep fine leg for a run.

Anukul Roy to Pat Cummins, Short and on off, that is punched off the back foot but straight to the cover fielder.

Shivang Kumar walks out to bat. With two right-handers at the crease, Anukul Roy has been called into the attack.

Sunil Narine to Ishan Kishan, OUT! TAKEN! Two wickets in an over for Sunil Narine. He has the last laugh. Sunil Narine floats it up, on off, Ishan Kishan moves forward again and looks to loft it, but cuts across the ball. It is skied towards long off. Anukul Roy settles under it and takes a comfortable catch. Sunrisers Hyderabad are 148/7 and in a spot of bother now.

Sunil Narine to Ishan Kishan, SIX! Ishan Kishan continues to score runs! Flatter, on off, Ishan Kishan shimmies down the ground and launches it over wide long on for a biggie. He moves to 42 now.

Sunil Narine to Pat Cummins, Flatter, on leg, Pat Cummins pushes it wide of mid on for a quick single.

Sunil Narine to Pat Cummins, Quicker, outside off, Pat Cummins leaves it alone.

Sunil Narine to Pat Cummins, Full and on leg, Pat flicks it away to the left of deep backward square leg and comes back for the second run.

SRH's skipper, Pat Cummins walks out to bat.

Sunil Narine to Salil Arora, OUT! TIMBER! What a delivery from Sunil Narine. Quicker, on off, and on a length. Salil Arora leans on and looks to block it, but gets beaten completely as the ball drifts in initially, but then straightens to beat the outside edge and hits the top of the off pole. 200th IPL wicket for Sunil Narine. Narine becomes the third man after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal to achieve this milestone, but the first overseas bowler to reach this landmark.

Whom does Ajinkya Rahane turn to now? Here is Sunil Narine for his final over. 3-0-22-0 so far for Narine.

Kartik Tyagi to Salil Arora, Excellent over from Kartik Tyagi. Just 4 runs off it. Back of a length, on off, Salil Arora pulls it through mid-wicket for a single.

Kartik Tyagi to Ishan Kishan, A slower bouncer, on off, Ishan Kishan pulls it to mid-wicket for a single.

Kartik Tyagi to Ishan Kishan, Hard length, outside off, Ishan Kishan cuts it but finds the fielder at backward point.

Kartik Tyagi to Salil Arora, Goes fuller this time, on off, Salil Arora pushes it to cover for a single.

Kartik Tyagi to Salil Arora, Length again, down leg, Salil Arora looks to flick it but wears it on his pads. The ball rolls towards the right of the bowler. Dot.

Kartik Tyagi (2-0-20-1) returns to the attack.

Kartik Tyagi to Ishan Kishan, Hard length, on middle and leg, Ishan Kishan tugs it through mid-wicket for a single.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Salil Arora, Brilliant over. Too full, on off, Salil Arora leans on and blocks it to short cover. Varun Chakaravarthy ends his spell with figures of 4-0-36-3.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Salil Arora, Too full, on off, Salil Arora stays back and blocks it to the off side.

Salil Arora is the new man in. A slip in place for the new batter.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Aniket Verma, OUT! TAKEN! Varun Chakaravarthy gets his man. Slower through the air again, on off, with a hint of turn. Aniket Verma gets down on one knee and looks to go big. Gets a top edge again as the ball goes high up in the air between cover and mid off. Ajinkya Rahane runs over his right shoulder from cover and keeps his eyes on the ball all the way through to take a magnificent catch. Sunrisers Hyderabad continue to crumble. They are 135/5 after 13.4 overs now.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Aniket Verma, FOUR! Streaky, but they all count! Flighted up, outside off, Aniket Verma swings hard but gets an outside edge. The ball lands just short of Kartik Tyagi at short third, who makes a diving attempt to his left. The ball races away to the fence. Chakaravarthy is not happy with Tyagi's effort.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Aniket Verma, Another dot. Slower through the air, on off, Aniket Verma rocks back and blocks it to the right of the bowler.

Varun Chakaravarthy to Aniket Verma, Fired in, on off, Aniket Verma leans on and blocks it back to the bowler. Varun Chakaravarthy is hobbling because of the blow he took on the leg in his previous over. Ajinkya Rahane has a word with him. Varun is going to carry on.