During a special appearance on Kuhl Fans Match Centre Live on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Eoin Morgan commended the Kolkata Knight Riders for their dominant victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, highlighting their tactical brilliance and collective team effort.
“They completely dismantled the opposition, which, to me, is a true testament to their character,” Morgan said.
“Bouncing back from a heavy defeat, especially away from home, is never easy—but KKR managed to do that it style. As Varun Chakravarthy rightly put it, there was no blame game, just unwavering belief in their abilities. The batters stepped up, and the bowlers made use of every opportunity, delivering a stunning 5-0 powerplay. Removing key opposition players early can completely shift the momentum, and KKR did that with precision.”
JioStar expert Varun Aaron shared his thoughts on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s lackluster performance, noting, “This is the stage when doubts can start to creep into a team, but they need to trust themselves for a few more games. At the moment, they’re not reading the conditions or match situations well. After losing three early wickets, they should’ve looked to stabilizing the innings—just like Raghuvanshi and Ajinkya Rahane did for KKR while setting up a 200-run total. But SRH missed doing that.”
He also credited Vaibhav Arora for his impact with the ball: “Those three wickets, especially the two early breakthroughs, were absolute gold dust.
"I was thrilled to see him win Man of the Match. This performance truely deserved recognition. He bowled brilliantly, trusting his skills even with Travis Head going after him from the first ball. He stayed composed, stuck to his lengths, and delivered at crucial moments. A fantastic performance from him tonight."
Morgan highlighted Venkatesh Iyer’s innings as a potential turning point in his season, saying, “We’ve seen high-profile players falter under pressure, but if this innings is anything to go by, it could spark Venkatesh Iyer’s 2025 campaign and significantly strengthen KKR’s batting lineup.”
Morgan also lauded Ajinkya Rahane’s calm and strategic leadership, saying that, "He was outstanding. The ability to stay composed and make clear decisions under pressure is a sign of a great leader, and Rahane showed that tonight. As captain, it’s all about capitalizing on momentum, and after taking early wickets, he did just that. His tactical bowling changes were spot on and proved instrumental in shaping the outcome of the game."
