KKR vs RR, IPL 2025: Riyan Parag single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals closer to victory from 71/5. But his 45-ball 95-run knock went in vain as Kolkata Knight Riders clinched a 1-run win in a thriller. Shubham Dubey hit Vaibhav Arora for 20 runs in the final over. But it was not enough as RR once again fell short.
Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders set a 207-run target for Rajasthan Royals after Andre Russell smashed a 25-ball 57. With Angkrish Raghuvanshi, he added a 61-run stand off 33 balls. The win helped KKR jump to 6th place with 11 points from as many games. If KKR win the remaining three matches, they can still qualify for the playoffs. RR are already out of the race.
KKR vs RR Live Commentary
Riyan Parag heroics
At 72/5, Rajasthan Royals looked done and dusted. But stand-in captain Riyan Parag refused to bow down. He added 92-run stand with Shimron Hetmyer to keep Rajasthan in the hunt. But it was his sudden charge that almost derailed Kolkata.
Moeen Ali, who was bowling very well, found himself on the receiving end of Parag. The youngster hammered 32 runs in the 13th over, smashing five sixes. With his six-hitting spree, he joined the likes of Chris Gayle and Rinku Singh. But he could not save RR. Across two overs, he hit six sixes in a row.
KKR bounced back with wickets of Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag as Rajasthan suddenly looked down and out again. While Shubham Dubey kept hopes alive, hitting 20 runs off Vaibhav Arora’s last over, RR could only manage 41/2 in the final overs after 105/4 in the middle overs.
Russell-Mania returns
While many wrote off Andre Russell after a poor run of form in IPL 2025, he rose from the dead. Promoted to No 5 ahead of Venkatesh Iyer, Russell showed he still had it in him. He smashed Maheesh Theekshana for 23 runs in the 18th over, completing his fifty in 22 balls. Russell hit four fours and six sixes to take Kolkata past the 200-run mark. KKR scored 70/1 in the final overs after just 80/2 in the middle-overs.
IPL 2025 Points Table
| Pos | Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0.482 |
| 2 | Mumbai Indians | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1.274 |
| 3 | Gujarat Titans | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0.867 |
| 4 | Punjab Kings | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 0.199 |
| 5 | Delhi Capitals | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0.362 |
| 6 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 0.095 |
| 7 | Lucknow Super Giants | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | -0.325 |
| 8 | Rajasthan Royals (E) | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 6 | -0.718 |
| 9 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | -1.192 |
| 10 | Chennai Super Kings (E) | 11 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 4 | -1.117 |
KKR vs RR Playing XIs
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Riyan Parag(c), Kunal Singh Rathore, Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal
Impact Subs: Kumar Kartikeya, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Moeen Ali, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora
Impact Subs: Manish Pandey, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy, Rovman Powell, Luvnith Sisodia
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