KKR's new-look opening pair continued to struggle, with Quinton de Kock (1) and Sunil Narine (7) falling cheaply after SRH opted to bowl. But an 81-run partnership by skipper Ajinkya Rahane (38 from 27b) and Raghuvanshi (50 off 32 balls; 5x4, 2x6) laid the foundation for a competitive total.
Momentum slowed with boundaries drying up for two overs, but Iyer (60 off 29 balls; 7x4, 3x6) and Rinku (32 not out from 17 balls; 4x4, 1x6) reignited the innings. Iyer's desperate pull off a Simarjeet beamer ended the drought, and Rinku smashed three consecutive boundaries off Harshal Patel before Iyer tore into Simarjeet with back-to-back fours.
Iyer was at his belligerent best against Cummins in the 19th over, hammering the SRH skipper for 4, 6, 4, 4 in succession as KKR notched their first 200-plus total of the season. The hosts hammered 78 runs in last five overs.
From 16/2 in 2.3 overs, KKR recovered through an 81-run stand between Rahane and Raghuvanshi. Rahane broke the shackles with two crisp pull shots for sixes off Shami and Cummins, as KKR reached 53/2. Raghuvanshi complemented Rahane with stylish stroke play, piercing gaps with drives through cover and square region.
Pat Cummins struck early in the third over, setting up de Kock with a short ball that was miscued to deep midwicket, while Shami dismissed an out-of-sorts Narine with a wide yorker that took the edge behind
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