SUNRISERS HYDERABAD beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs in the IPL on Thursday, with openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma setting up the result.
Head scored 46 off 21 balls, while Abhishek made 48 off 21, as the pair put Hyderabad on course for 226-8 at Eden Gardens.
Hyderabad then bowled out Kolkata for 161 in 16 overs to register their first points of the season after losing their opener to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Head and Abhishek added 82 runs for the first wicket, hitting 10 fours and seven sixes between them.
Heinrich Klaasen top-scored with 52 after Kolkata picked up three quick wickets, including skipper Ishan Kishan for 14 and Abhishek in the same over from Blessing Muzarabani, who returned 4-41.
Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made 39, put on 82 runs for the fifth wicket as Hyderabad finished on 226-8.
"I was happy with everyone putting in the effort," said Kishan, who is leading the team in place of Pat Cummins, who is recovering from a back injury.
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"Head and Abhishek made our game easy. It was a complete team effort."
Both teams came into the match after defeats in their opening games, but Hyderabad carried out their plans.
Kolkata’s Finn Allen hit three fours and two sixes off David Payne in the first over of the chase.
Allen made 28 off seven balls before getting out in the second over. Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored 52, but Kolkata could not keep up with the required rate.
"I thought SRH bowlers executed the slower balls (well) and the angles they used were really good," said Kolkata skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
Jaydev Unadkat took three wickets, including two in two balls, as Kolkata were bowled out with four overs remaining.
(With inputs from agencies)
