Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 97 guided Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the sixth match of IPL 2025 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.
With this victory, KKR registered their first points in the 18th edition of the IPL, while RR suffered their second consecutive defeat in the tournament.
KKR’s Chase: De Kock Leads the Charge
Chasing 152, Quinton de Kock and Moeen Ali opened the innings for KKR. They started steadily, scoring 40 runs in the powerplay. However, in the seventh over, Moeen Ali (5 off 12 balls) was run out, leaving KKR at 41/1.
Ajinkya Rahane joined de Kock, but his stay was brief as Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed him for 18 (15 balls) in the 11th over.
Despite the fall of wickets, de Kock remained solid. He brought up his half-century in the 11th over with a six off Hasaranga and anchored the innings. KKR reached 100 in the 13th over, with Angrish Raghuvanshi providing support.
De Kock finished the match in style, smashing a six in the 18th over to take KKR to victory. He remained unbeaten on 97 off 61 balls, while Raghuvanshi contributed 22 off 17 balls*.
For RR, Hasaranga took one wicket, while the other came via a runout.
RR’s Batting Struggles
Earlier, RR struggled to build momentum and managed to post 151/9 in 20 overs. Sanju Samson (13) fell early to Vaibhav Arora, setting the tone for a disciplined KKR bowling display.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (29) and Riyan Parag (25) added 34 runs, but Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Parag to break the stand. Jaiswal followed soon after, falling to Moeen Ali.
Wickets kept tumbling as Wanindu Hasaranga (4), Nitish Rana (8), and Shubham Dubey (9) failed to contribute significantly. Dhruv Jurel put up some resistance with 33 runs, but he was eventually bowled by Harshit Rana. Shimron Hetmyer (7) and Jofra Archer (16) also struggled, as RR finished with a modest total.
KKR’s Bowling Performance
KKR’s bowlers delivered a clinical performance, with each of them picking up at least one wicket.
- Varun Chakravarthy: 2/17 (4 overs)
- Moeen Ali: 2/23 (4 overs)
- Harshit Rana: 2/31 (4 overs)
- Vaibhav Arora: 2/29 (4 overs)
- Spencer Johnson: 1/25 (3 overs)
Brief Scorecard:
- Rajasthan Royals: 151/9 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 33, Yashasvi Jaiswal 29, Varun Chakravarthy 2/17)
- Kolkata Knight Riders: 153/2 in 17.3 overs (Quinton de Kock 97*, Angrish Raghuvanshi 22*, Wanindu Hasaranga 1/34)
With this win, KKR have gained momentum in IPL 2025, while RR will look to bounce back in their upcoming matches.