IPL 2022, KKR vs SRH: Kolkata Knight Riders lose to Sunrisers Hyderabad to crash to another loss

Ex-Knight Tripathi leads Sunrisers Hyderabad to comfortable winFormer Knights are coming hard at Kolkata Knight Riders this season. After Delhi Capitals' Kuldeep Yadav wrecked them in the last match picking up four wickets, it was Rahul Tripathi who laid the foundation for Sunrisers Hyderabad's seven-wicket victory against KKR at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Friday. AS IT HAPPENED | SCORECARD | POINTS TABLEThe KKR top order looked all at sea in trying to negotiate the SRH pacers after being asked to bat first by skipper Kane Williamson on a greenish wicket that offered both bounce and movement. However, some judicious batting by Nitin Rana (54 off 36) and big hits from Andre Russell (49 off 25) towards the end saw KKR put up a fighting 175 for eight. Their bowlers made the right start picking up both the in-form SRH openers - Williamson and Abhishek Sharma - inside the Powerplay. But Tripathi stepped in and started playing his shots all over the park. The Maharashtra batter collected 18 runs, including two consecutive sixes off Varun Chakravarthy's first over. It was a night to forget for Chakravarthy, who ended up giving away 45 runs in his three overs.

Keeping to SRH's brand of cricket, it was again a partnership, this time a 54-ball 94-run third-wicket stand between Tripathi and Aiden Markram, that gave the side a hat-trick of wins. While Tripathi, who got his first 50 since his days with KKR in 2021, left for a well-made 71 off 37 balls, Markram finished it off with a flourish to remain undefeated on 68 off 36 balls. KKR replacing Ajinkya Rahane with Aaron Finch in search of a good start did not pay dividends as the Australian T20 skipper lasted just five deliveries before being caught behind by Nicholas