Last Updated on 2 weeks by Charbel Coorey
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have kept their IPL 2025 playoffs hopes alive by the skin of their teeth, prevailing by one run in a thriller against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Eden Gardens. It was the second-straight last-ball finish in the tournament after RCB held on to beat CSK less than 24 hours earlier at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
KKR looked to be coasting to an easy win. After Andre Russell’s brilliant 25-ball 57 drove the hosts to 206/4, Ajinkya Rahane’s team restricted RR to 71/5 in the eighth over. Given the Royals’ struggles with the bat, you may have been forgiven for thinking KKR would cruise to a massive, net run rate boosting win.
Instead, Riyan Parag turned the game on its head. The RR captain belted five consecutive sixes off Moeen Ali in the 13th over to bring the equation from 105 off 48 to 73 off 42. KKR were sweating at that point, with Shimron Hetmyer also threatening to cut loose. By the time impact player Shubham Dubey walked out to the middle, RR were right in the contest, requiring 43 off 24 with Parag on a roll.
Crucially, Dubey wasn’t able to get going early, which was a credit to KKR’s bowling and fielding in the crunch overs. As a result, it increased the pressure on Parag, who fell five runs short of a stunning T20 century, holing out to long on for a magnificent 45-ball 95. At that point, RR needed a more improbable 32 off 14 balls, which quickly became 22 off six, courtesy of Russell’s solid penultimate over.
However, the twists and turns weren’t done in this thriller. This game had endless ebbs and flows, and the final over was the icing on the cake. After struggling early, Dubey struck six, four, six to bring the equation down to three needed off the last ball against a nervous Vaibhav Arora.
In the end, though, Arora held his nerve well, executing an excellent final-ball yorker which Dubey only managed to squeeze away down the ground. Jofra Archer was unable to get back for the second to force a Super Over, sparking KKR celebrations as they remained alive in IPL 2025.
KKR vs RR Twitter Reactions: More heartbreak for the Royals as KKR keep hopes alive
The one-run defeat was yet another instance of RR falling short in a run chase this season. While they deserve great credit for the way they fought back courtesy of Parag, they got themselves into a position where they could win the match. Unfortunately, they weren’t quite able to execute.
KKR’s ability to crawl back between the 17th and 19th overs was crucial to the result. Harshit Rana was excellent under pressure. Special mention also goes to Rinku Singh, whose wonderful fielding on the boundary saved vital runs. However, it may have come at a cost, with Rinku seemingly picking up a muscle injury as a result.
Here are some fan reactions to a fantastic contest between KKR and RR at Eden Gardens.
With this win, KKR moved to 11 points and currently sit two points outside the top four (at the time of writing). They have games against the two bottom teams in SRH and CSK to come. Wins in those matches will take them to 15 points ahead of their final match against RCB on Sunday 18 May.
