After spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine set the tone for Kolkata Knight Riders’ seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 166-run chase was handled with calm authority.

Finn Allen’s blistering start meant KKR was well ahead, and from there, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and skipper Ajinkya Rahane stitched together a risk-free 84-run partnership to put the visitor on the brink of victory. Raghuvanshi, who raised a composed half-century – his third of the season – said that his focus remained in the moment rather than on the scoreboard.

“With the older ball, the pitch got a little tougher. It got slower, so the start that Ajinkya bhaiya and Finn gave us was very crucial. We got in front of the game in the PowerPlay and it got easier from there.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad, in quintessential fashion, began its IPL clash against Kolkata Knight Riders with an onslaught so ferocious it felt like the game might be over before it had properly begun. Boundaries flew, the scoreboard spiralled, and KKR was pushed to the brink as SRH went past the 100-run mark in a blink-and-you-miss-it 8.5 overs.

That chaos, stunning and without warning, gave way for a spectacular collapse, courtesy an adamant spin chokehold by Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine that eventually set up a seven-wicket victory for the visitors at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.