Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 1 run in the 53rd match of IPL 2025 played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Kolkata batted first and scored 206/4 in 20 overs, in response to which Rajasthan could only score 205/8 in 20 overs.
The brilliant performance of Andre Russell (57* runs, 25 balls) and Harshit Rana (2/41) played a decisive role in Kolkata’s thrilling victory.
1st innings: Kolkata Knight Riders 206/4 (20 overs)
Kolkata got off to a bad start with Sunil Narine (11) getting out early, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz (35) and captain Ajinkya Rahane (30) handled the innings.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44) provided stability in the middle overs, while Andre Russell (57* runs, 25 balls, 4 fours, 6 sixes) and Rinku Singh (19*) batted explosively in the final overs to take the score to 206.
Jofra Archer, Mahesh Teekshna, Yudhvir Singh Charak, and Riyan Parag took one wicket each for Rajasthan.
Kolkata Knight Riders top scorers
- Andre Russell: 57* runs (25 balls, 4 fours, 6 sixes)
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi: 44 runs (31 balls, 5 fours, 0 sixes)
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz: 35 runs (25 balls, 4 fours, 1 six)
- Ajinkya Rahane: 30 runs (24 balls, 1 four, 2 sixes)
Rajasthan Royals top bowlers
- Jofra Archer: 4 overs, 30 runs, 1 wicket
- Mahesh Teekshna: 4 overs, 41 runs, 1 wicket
- Riyan Parag: 3 overs, 21 runs, 1 wicket
- Yudhvir Singh Charak: 2 overs, 26 runs, 1 wicket
- Wanindu Hasaranga: 4 overs, 35 runs, 0 wickets
2nd innings: Rajasthan Royals 205/8 (20 overs)
Chasing a target of 207 runs, Rajasthan got off to a poor start, losing Vaibhav Suryavanshi (4) and Kunal Rathore (0) early. Yashasvi Jaiswal (34) and captain Riyan Parag (95 runs, 45 balls) added 58 runs for the third wicket.
Parag batted aggressively, but Harshit Rana dismissed Parag and Shimron Hetmyer (29) to put Rajasthan under pressure. Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Dhruv Jurel (0) and Wanindu Hasaranga (0) in successive overs.
Rajasthan needed 16 runs in the final over, but Vaibhav Arora ran out Jofra Archer (12) to restrict Rajasthan to 205/8.
Harshit Rana (2/41), Varun Chakravarthy (2/32), and Moeen Ali (2/43) bowled brilliantly for Kolkata.
Rajasthan Royals top scorers
- Riyan Parag: 95 runs (45 balls, 6 fours, 8 sixes)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal: 34 runs (21 balls, 5 fours, 1 six)
- Shimron Hetmyer: 29 runs (23 balls, 1 four, 1 six)
- Shubham Dubey: 25 runs (14 balls, 1 four, 2 sixes)
Kolkata Knight Riders top bowlers
- Harshit Rana: 4 overs, 41 runs, 2 wickets
- Varun Chakravarthy: 4 overs, 32 runs, 2 wickets
- Moeen Ali: 3 overs, 43 runs, 2 wickets
- Vaibhav Arora: 4 overs, 50 runs, 1 wicket
- Sunil Narine: 4 overs, 27 runs, 0 wickets
Decisive moment of the match
The decisive moment of the match came in the final over, when Rajasthan needed 16 runs. Vaibhav Arora gave away only 6 runs off the first four balls and got Jofra Archer (12) run out.
Shubham Dube (25*) needed 10 runs off the last ball but Arora bowled a perfect yorker to give away just 1 run, giving Kolkata a thrilling 1-run win.
