IPL 2026: Finn Allen starts off with a bang; KKR score 74 in the powerplay

Finn Allen (Pic: AFP)

After a strong start to the innings, Kolkata Knight Riders falter in the last few overs to score 74 runs for the loss of 3 wickets at the end of the powerplay, chasing Sunrisers Hyderabad's total of 226 runs.

Kolkata Knight Riders' opener Finn Allen started his innings with a bang, scoring 25 runs in the first over. The Kiwi star hit his first six balls for boundaries as he raced to 28 runs in 6 balls before being caught and bowled by Harsh Dubey.

The run flow slowed down after Allen's departure, and captain Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed soon as Jaydev Unadkat picked up his maiden wicket of the season. Cameron Green was run out in the last ball of the fifth over as KKR lost their third wicket.

KKR will hope that their deep batting line-up with the likes of Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine. The Kolkata-based franchise lost its opening match of the season against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede and will aim to bounce back from that disappointment in front of its home crowd.

Earlier, the Sunrisers Hyderabad put on 226 runs in their 20 overs. SRH got off to a flying start as openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head found their groove in the powerplay. Head scored a quickfire 46 off 21 balls, while Abhishek Sharma scored 48 runs off 21 balls.

After both the openers were dismissed, Heinrich Klassen stabbled the innings, scoring 52 runs of 35 balls. The South African, along with Nitish Kumar Reddy, ended SRH's innings with a bang, taking their team to 226 runs at the end of their innings.

For KKR, Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 wickets, including 2 in the final over.

Confirmed Playing XI for both teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (C) (WK), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, David Payne.