Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ended their IPL 2025 campaign with an embarrassing 110-run loss at the hands of last season’s runners-up, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), in Delhi. KKR finished eighth with 12 points from 14 games. SRH secured sixth place with 13 from 14.
After winning the toss, SRH skipper Pat Cummins chose to bat, and his batters lit up the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi by posting the third-highest total in IPL history — 278/3 in 20 overs. Batting at No. 3, South African star Heinrich Klaasen smashed the joint third-fastest IPL hundred. He remained unbeaten on 105 off 39 balls, scoring at a strike rate of 269.23.
The onslaught had started earlier, with the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. They added 92 in 6.5 overs before Abhishek was dismissed for 32 off 16 balls. Head built another strong partnership, adding 83 runs with Klaasen for the second wicket, before getting out for 76 off 40 deliveries.
Although Ishan Kishan took 20 balls to score 29, he still stitched an 83-run partnership for the third wicket with Klaasen in 36 balls. For KKR, Sunil Narine took two wickets and Vaibhav Arora picked up one, but all the bowlers struggled and looked clueless against SRH’s aggressive batting.
For the Latest Sports News: Follow RevSportz
Chasing a massive target, KKR were always going to face a tough challenge, but some fight was still expected, which never came. At one point, they were reduced to 70/5 in just eight overs, staring at a heavy defeat. Some late resistance came through Narine’s 31 off 16, Manish Pandey’s 37 off 23, and Harshit Rana’s 34 off 21. KKR were eventually bowled out for 168 in 18.4 overs.
For SRH, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga and Harsh Dubey each picked up three wickets. Klaasen was named Player of the Match for his brilliant century.
After the defeat, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane shared his thoughts on the disappointing season and promised a strong comeback. “We had our moments… Two or three close games, we didn’t play well. We gave our best. In a format like this, you have to be switched on always. Had we taken those moments, we’d have been one or two. No regrets, all gave their best. We’ll come back strong next year,” Rahane said.
Also Read: KKR vs SRH, IPL 2025: Heinrich Klaasen hits second IPL ton