Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) edged past Rajasthan Royals (RR) by one run in a thrilling IPL 2025 clash at Eden Gardens.
Though RR looked out of the contest after a top-order collapse, skipper Riyan Parag’s explosive half-century brought them back into the game.
Parag launched a stunning counterattack, smashing six sixes in the span of seven balls - including five in a row - to turn the game in its head in RR’s favour.
However, just as he neared a sensational century, Harshit Rana delivered the breakthrough KKR desperately needed, dismissing Parag for 95. Rana had earlier broken a dangerous partnership by removing Shimron Hetmyer, stopping the Royals’ charge.
RR’s chase began on shaky ground, with the top order collapsing under pressure. Teen prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi fell for 4, Kunal Singh Rathore went for a duck, and Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasaranga also departed without scoring. Yashasvi Jaiswal offered brief resistance with a brisk 34.
KKR’s bowling kept things tight with Rana, Moeen Ali, and Varun Chakravarthy picked up two wickets each, while Vaibhav Arora struck once to keep the Royals in check early on.
KKR posted a commanding 206/4 against a struggling RR.
After being promoted up the order, Andre Russell smashing an unbeaten 57 off just 25 balls to propel KKR in the later stages of the innings.
His explosive finish came after useful contributions from skipper Ajinkya Rahane, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and youngster Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
KKR got off to a flying start despite an early setback, with Sunil Narine falling in the second over to uncapped pacer Yudhvir Singh Charak.
However, the hosts recovered swiftly, maintaining momentum through the middle overs.
RR captain Riyan Parag chipped in with a wicket but was unable to stem the flow of runs.
KKR had opted to bat after winning the toss.
Although rain was forecast, the match went ahead without any interruptions.
While RR are already out of the playoff race, KKR remain in the hunt for a spot in the top four.
With this win, KKR have climbed to sixth place on the points table, while RR stay rooted at eighth.
With three league matches left, KKR must win all of them to keep their hopes alive. Even then, their qualification will depend on results of other teams.
Playing XI
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Moeen Ali, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag (c), Kunal Singh Rathore, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal
Impact players:
KKR: Kumar Kartikeya, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma
RR: Kumar Kartikeya, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma