Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori admitted that their game plan against Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL 2026 contest was disrupted by wickets falling at the most inconvenient moments. With KKR setting a relatively modest target of 165, SRH looked well in control during the chase, finishing on 169 for 3 in 18.2 overs. Speaking after the match, Vettori said the side got off to a promising start but failed to turn that momentum into a stronger platform. “We got off to a great start but couldn’t capitalise on that, lost some wickets at crucial times. 160 is incredibly difficult to defend even if the wicket was a bit slow. But we had enough fight after the powerplay to give a small chance. But they managed to chase really well,” he said at the post-match press conference.
Vettori further pointed to the constant rhythm of dismissals as a key reason SRH struggled to re-establish momentum at crucial stages of the innings. In T20 cricket, he explained, even when a team starts with momentum, it can be extremely difficult to regain control once the opposition accelerates and wickets keep arriving. “We just lost wickets in crucial times and in T20 games even if you have momentum, if the opposition goes hard it’s really hard to regain the momentum,” he said.
He also highlighted the impact of losing key batters, noting that if those dismissals had not happened, the outcome might have been different. “The wickets of Travis Head, Ishan, Klaasen… had any of them continued it would have been different but KKR bowled really well. The spinners found their length really well in particular,” Vettori added.
For KKR, the spinners played a major role in shaping the match. Varun Chakravarthy delivered a match-turning spell of 3/36, while Sunil Narine backed it up with 2/31. Chakravarthy, in particular, spoke about how he was able to keep taking wickets even after being tested early. “Chakravarthy was able to take wickets even if we put him under pressure early on,” he said.
