India batter Venkatesh Iyer smashed 60 off 29 balls to fire holders Kolkata Knight Riders to an 80-run hammering of Sunrisers Hyderabad in a comeback IPL win on Thursday.

Iyer’s knock and 91-run stand with fellow left-hander Rinku Singh propelled Kolkata to 200-6 at their home in Eden Gardens after being invited to bat first in a rematch of last year’s final, AFP reported.

Iyer proved his worth in a blitz laced with seven fours and three sixes after Kolkata paid a whopping $2.81 million for him in the November auction.

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who hit 38, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who struck 50, lay the foundations of the total in their partnership of 81 after openers fell early.

Bowlers led by impact substitute Vaibhav Arora bowled Hyderabad out for 120 in 16.4 overs as Kolkata bounced back from a crushing defeat to Mumbai Indian in their previous game early this week.

“This game was really important for us,” said Rahane. “Winning by a big margin was crucial for us.”

“Last two games were not up to the mark for us. But we learned a lot from our mistakes. This is a great example for us as a batting unit.”

Kolkata moved from the bottom to fifth in the 10-team table and Hyderabad sunk to the last spot with three defeats in four matches.

“Not a great night tonight,” said Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins.

“In the mid-innings break, we thought it was gettable. It was a pretty good wicket. Gave away few too many in the field and obviously fell short (with the bat).”

Arora impact

Arora, who was named player of the match for his figures of 3-29, and spinner Varun Chakravarthy took three wickets each.

Iyer and batters set up victory despite the loss of Quinton de Kock, for one, and Sunil Narine, for seven, inside the first three overs.

Cummins took down De Kock and fellow quick Mohammed Shami dismissed Narine before Rahane hit back with a flurry of boundaries.

The 20-year-old Raghuvanshi joined forces with the captain as he reached his fifty and hit five fours and two sixes in his 32-ball knock.

Kolkata seemed to slip after Rahane and then Raghuvanshi departed and Iyer took time to get going but once set he proved destructive and smashed Cummins for three fours and a six in a 21-run 19th over.

Iyer, who fell in the final over, and Rinku, who hit 32, combined to pummel the opposition bowlers in the last five overs, which produced 78 runs.

In reply, Hyderabad were in trouble at 9-3 and then 44-4 after seam bowler Arora struck two early blows including Australia’s Travis Head out on the second ball for four.

Left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma fell to Harshit Rana and Arora made it three down after he dismissed another left-hander Ishant Kishan for two.

Sri Lanka’s IPL debutant Kamindu Mendis hit 27 before he became Sunil Narine’s wicket and the rest of the batting crumbled.

South African wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen made 33 in a disappointing show by Hyderabad.

With IPL 2025 in full swing, the battle for the Orange Cap is intensifying with Lucknow Super Giants’ Nicholas Pooran currently leading the way with 189 runs from three matches.

The Orange Cap is awarded to the highest run-scorer of the season, making it one of the most prestigious individual accolades in the Indian Premier League.

As the season unfolds, the race for the IPL 2025 Orange Cap will continue to add an extra layer of excitement to the IPL with some of the world’s best batters vying for the top spot.

In second place currently is Punjab Kings’ Shreyas Iyer with 149 runs, followed by Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan with 137.

Starting from the inaugural IPL season in 2008, the Orange Cap has been claimed by some of the finest batters in cricket.

The first-ever recipient was Australian opener Shaun Marsh, who amassed 616 runs for Kings XI Punjab. Over the years, the list of Orange Cap holders has included modern-day greats like Chris Gayle, David Warner and Virat Kohli.

Among the most remarkable Orange Cap-winning performances, Kohli’s record-breaking 973-run campaign in IPL 2016 remains unparalleled. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru talisman registered four centuries in the IPL that season, setting a benchmark.

Kohli’s tally for the 2016 season is still the record for most runs scored by a player in a single IPL season and the only time any batter has breached the 900-mark in the T20 competition. Shubman Gill, with 890 in IPL 2023, has come the closest.

Chris Gayle meanwhile is the only batter to win the Orange Cap in successive seasons – 2011 and 2012.

David Warner however holds the distinction of winning the Orange Cap three times (2015, 2017, 2019), the most by any player in IPL history.

Last season, Virat Kohli reclaimed the Orange Cap, scoring 741 runs in 15 matches, to become only the third player to win the Orange Cap multiple times.

Only two players in IPL history – Robin Uthappa in 2014 with Kolkata Knight Riders and Ruturaj Gaikwad in 2021 with Chennai Super Kings – have managed to win both the Orange Cap and the IPL trophy in the same season.

In the 17 completed IPL seasons so far, Indians have staked claim on the Orange Cap seven times while Australians have held the honour on six occasions.

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar, in 2010, was the first Indian to win the IPL Orange Cap after Marsh and Matthew Hayden, both Australians, claimed the prize in the first two editions.

Wednesday’s Match

On Wednesday April 2, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will meet Gujarat Titans at the Chinnaswamy. The action is set to begin at 6:30 pm and the match will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television.

Key players to look out for in the RCB vs GT match are undoubtedly Virat Kohli for RCB;

Virat Kohli is a key player for RCB tonight, given his solid form this IPL season. In two matches, he has scored 59* and 31, averaging 90 with a strike rate of 136.36. His consistency at the top sets the tone for the innings, and his ability to pace the chase or build partnerships is unmatched.

Also Read | RCB vs GT Prediction: Who’ll win today’s Bengaluru vs Gujarat IPL match?

With over 8,000 IPL runs, 56 fifties and 276 sixes in his career, Kohli’s experience and temperament make him RCB’s anchor.

Shubman Gill is also one to watch out for as he remains Gujarat Titans’ most dependable batter and captain. With 71 runs from two games in IPL 2025 and a strike rate of 173.17, he’s leading from the front. His 33 off just 14 balls against PBKS showed raw intent, and 38 off 27 vs MI gave GT a solid start.

Sai Sudharsan is another player to keep one’s eye on. With his dream start to IPL 2025, he has already made headlines. With scores of 74 (41) and 63 (41) in his first two matches, the left-hander has stacked up 137 runs at a whopping average of 68.50 and a strike rate of 167.07. His consistency at the top gives Gujarat Titans the firepower they need.

Rashid Khan is yet another cricketing great who remains a key asset for Gujarat Titans, thanks to his all-round contributions. Though he has only picked up 1 wicket in IPL 2025 so far, his career record speaks volumes. He has claimed 150 wickets at an impressive average of 22.07 and an economy of 6.86.

Rashid’s ability to control the game in the middle overs makes him a match-winner with the ball. While his batting returns in 2025 have been minimal (6 runs in 2 matches), he still carries a career strike rate of 161.58, proving he’s a handy lower-order hitter.

Cricket fans in Afghanistan can watch all matches exclusively and live on Ariana Television. Tune in today from 6pm to watch what will undoubtedly be another cracker of a game.

Gujarat Titans have beaten Mumbai Indians by 36 runs at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. Chasing 197 runs Mumbai could only manage to get to 160/6. Prasidh Krishna was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets for the Titans.

Earlier Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first. Sai Sudharsan chipped in with 41-ball 63 which helped Titans to put on a decent total on what seemed like a tricky surface.

In reply, Mumbai Indians could only score 160 for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs, with Suryakumar Yadav top-scoring with 48 off 28 balls. For Gujarat, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna claimed two wickets each.

With the result, Titans have registered their first win of the tournament while Mumbai after two games remain winless.     

In today’s fixtures, Delhi Capitals will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam at 3:30 PM, while Rajasthan Royals will take on Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati at 7:30 PM.

Ariana Television will again broadcast this match live and exclusively across Afghanistan. Fans can tune in from 2:30 PM Kabul time.