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- RR vs KKR, IPL 2025 Highlights: Spirited Quinton de Kock shines as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets
RR vs KKR, IPL 2025 Highlights: Spirited Quinton de Kock shines as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets
Varun Chakravarthy (2/17 from 4 overs) and Moeen Ali (2/23 from 4 overs) made the most of the tricky pitch, turning the ball effectively. Meanwhile, seamer Vaibhav Arora (2/33 from 4 overs) mixed up his pace to claim vital wickets. Harshit Rana also contributed with a couple of dismissals.
Though Yashasvi Jaiswal (29 off 24 balls) and stand-in captain Riyan Parag (25 off 15 balls) started well, neither could convert their innings. Dhruv Jurel top-scored with 33 off 28 balls.
Brief Scores: RR 151/9 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 33, Yashasvi Jaiswal 29; Varun Chakravarthy 2/17, Moeen Ali 2/23) vs KKR.
Veteran all-rounder Moeen Ali comes into the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) playing eleven as captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals in Match 6 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Both KKR, the defending champions, and RR are coming into this clash after suffering defeat in their respective opening games of the tournament. Moeen, the former England off-spin bowling all-rounder, comes in for Sunil Narine, who is unwell and won’t be playing the game for KKR.
“The wicket looks really good. If we bowl first, we'll get an idea of how this wicket is. Dew factor is huge here. It's about staying positive, this format is all about being fearless, playing with intent.”
“We played very good cricket. T20 is all about giving your best each and every day. We are looking forward to this game. We learnt a lot from the last game. We want to stay in the moment. I don't look at the stars that much, for me, it's all about contributing,” said Rahane after winning the toss.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag got huge cheers from his home crowd and was humbled by the reception offered to him. He said RR have made one change too, with leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga coming for left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi. “Very proud, very humbled (to be leading RR). The middle-order really stepped up. A lot of positives with the ball as well,” said Parag.
Playing XIs:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy
Impact Substitutes: Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy and Luvnith Sisodia
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (captain), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, and Sandeep Sharma
I mpact Substitutes: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh and Kwena Maphaka
After suffering defeats in their previous matches, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will be eager to bounce back when they face off in an IPL encounter on Wednesday. KKR fell to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by seven wickets in the tournament opener, while RR endured a heavy 44-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Both teams struggled in their respective matches, with their batting and bowling units failing to deliver.
While Rajasthan’s bowlers could blame the flat Hyderabad pitch for their struggles, Kolkata had no such excuse. Apart from Sunil Narine, none of KKR’s bowlers managed to contain RCB’s batters, raising concerns, particularly about mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Despite playing on an Eden Gardens pitch that offered some grip, Chakravarthy was taken apart by Phil Salt and Virat Kohli.
The KKR camp hopes that the spinner will regain his rhythm on a Guwahati surface that traditionally offers some assistance. They will also be monitoring the fitness of Anrich Nortje, who is recovering from a back strain. If cleared by the medical team, the South African pacer is expected to replace Spencer Johnson in the playing XI.
KKR’s Middle Order Under Pressure KKR’s middle-order collapse in the previous match was another area of concern. Despite a fiery start from skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Narine, the team failed to capitalize, eventually posting a below-par total.
Key batters like Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell fell to premeditated cross-batted shots, something the team will look to rectify. KKR will also be hoping for a strong performance from Rinku Singh, who has struggled for runs in recent outings. His finishing ability is crucial in converting competitive totals into formidable ones. Rinku’s recent T20 form has been underwhelming, with scores of 11, 9, 8, 30, and 9 in his last five international innings, along with a 12 in the IPL opener.
RR’s Bowling Needs a Turnaround
On the other hand, Rajasthan’s bowling unit needs a major improvement after their dismal showing against SRH. Jofra Archer, who recorded the most expensive spell in IPL history by conceding 76 runs, along with Fazalhaq Farooqi and Maheesh Theekshana, struggled against the aggressive batting of Travis Head and Ishan Kishan. Guwahati presents them with a chance to redeem themselves.
Stand-in captain Riyan Parag also faces a leadership test. At times, he appeared uncertain in making key decisions against SRH, and the Royals will be looking for sharper decision-making from him in this crucial fixture.
Squads:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnity Sisodia, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markhande, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Chetan Sakariya.
Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (stand-in captain), Sanju Samson, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.
We'll look to bowl first. The wicket looks good. Dew factor is huge here. It's about staying positive and playing fearlessly. We learnt a lot from the previous game. Sunil Narine misses out, he's not well. Moeen Ali comes in.
Ajinkya Rahane during toss
KKR vs RR Live Score: UPDATE! Sunil Narine misses out due to illness; Moeen Ali comes in as his replacement
KKR vs RR Live Score: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane wins toss, opts to field against Rajasthan Royals
“I’m not sure how many Bengalis are there in KKR (there are none), but being an Assamese I hope I’ll get more support over here."
RR stand-in skipper Riyan Parag ahead of KKR clash
“It’s always good to win the first game, but there are some lessons to be learnt from there. We could have capitalised (on the start); we could have got more runs, but we lost wickets towards the end of the innings. Whatever you do, there is always an opportunity to bowl better”
KKR bowling coach Bharat Arun said after the defeat to RCB on Tuesday
RR vs KKR in numbers
KKR vs RR Live Score: Both teams looking to bounce back after tough defeats in their IPL openers
KKR vs RR Live Score: "For me, it's all about contribution"
Ajinkya Rahane wasted no time in making a statement on his suitability in Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) batting lineup, delivering a stellar 56 off 31 balls in their IPL 2025 opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
"I hope you all enjoyed my innings rather than me enjoying my batting," Rahane said at the post-match press conference.
"For me, it's all about contributing for the team and that's what matters to me. Whatever runs I score, it's always about the contribution. An innings of 56 on the winning side would have been really nice. But it's fine," he added.
Reflecting on the defeat, Rahane pointed to KKR's dramatic collapse in the latter half of their innings as the turning point. At 107/1 after ten overs, they seemed well on course for a total beyond 200, especially with Sunil Narine's 44 complementing Rahane's half-century. However, the middle order, usuallly the backbone of KKR's batting failed to capitalize, leading to a slump that saw them finish at 174/9.
Apart from Angkrish Raghuvanshi's 30 at number 5, contributions were minimal, and KKR managed a mere 23 runs in the last four overs. That proved costly, as RCB chased down the target with ease, winning with 22 balls to spare.
"It is the first game of the season and the batting line-up which we have, we have guys who like to go after the bowlers," Rahane said.
"As a team, I thought there are a few areas we did well and there's always areas we can improve," he added.
"I thought RCB bowled really well in the powerplay, but important was how they picked up wickets in the 13th and 14th overs [13th to 16th - they went from 125 for 3 to 150 for 6]. Those were crucial since that was the momentum-changer. I don't focus on all the negative things because this side has players who have done very well for this franchise in the past. So I'm going to back them. In the game tonight it didn't work out, but it's okay," he noted.
KKR vs RR Live Score: SQUADS
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnity Sisodia, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markhande, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Chetan Sakariya.
Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (stand-in captain), Sanju Samson, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.
KKR vs RR Live Score: RR’S BOWLING NEEDS A TURNAROUND
On the other hand, Rajasthan’s bowling unit needs a major improvement after their dismal showing against SRH.
Jofra Archer, who recorded the most expensive spell in IPL history by conceding 76 runs, along with Fazalhaq Farooqi and Maheesh Theekshana, struggled against the aggressive batting of Travis Head and Ishan Kishan.
Guwahati presents them with a chance to redeem themselves.
Stand-in captain Riyan Parag also faces a leadership test.
At times, he appeared uncertain in making key decisions against SRH, and the Royals will be looking for sharper decision-making from him in this crucial fixture.
KKR vs RR Live Score: KKR’S MIDDLE ORDER UNDER PRESSURE
KKR’s middle-order collapse in the previous match was another area of concern. Despite a fiery start from skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Narine, the team failed to capitalize, eventually posting a below-par total.
Key batters like Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell fell to premeditated cross-batted shots, something the team will look to rectify.
KKR will also be hoping for a strong performance from Rinku Singh, who has struggled for runs in recent outings.
His finishing ability is crucial in converting competitive totals into formidable ones.
Rinku’s recent T20 form has been underwhelming, with scores of 11, 9, 8, 30, and 9 in his last five international innings, along with a 12 in the IPL opener.
KKR vs RR Live Score: Hello and welcome!
Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of IPL 2025 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.
After suffering defeats in their previous matches, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will be eager to bounce back when they face off in an IPL encounter on Wednesday. KKR fell to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by seven wickets in the tournament opener, while RR endured a heavy 44-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Both teams struggled in their respective matches, with their batting and bowling units failing to deliver.
While Rajasthan’s bowlers could blame the flat Hyderabad pitch for their struggles, Kolkata had no such excuse. Apart from Sunil Narine, none of KKR’s bowlers managed to contain RCB’s batters, raising concerns, particularly about mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Despite playing on an Eden Gardens pitch that offered some grip, Chakravarthy was taken apart by Phil Salt and Virat Kohli.
The KKR camp hopes that the spinner will regain his rhythm on a Guwahati surface that traditionally offers some assistance. They will also be monitoring the fitness of Anrich Nortje, who is recovering from a back strain. If cleared by the medical team, the South African pacer is expected to replace Spencer Johnson in the playing XI.
Varun Chakaravarthy (2/17 in 4 overs) and Moeen Ali (2/23 in 4 overs) exploited the sticky surface with spin, while Vaibhav Arora (2/33 in 4 overs) used variations effectively. Harshit Rana also chipped in with two wickets.
Despite promising starts, Yashasvi Jaiswal (29 off 24) and stand-in captain Riyan Parag (25 off 15) couldn’t convert their innings into big scores. Dhruv Jurel top-scored with 33 off 28, but regular wickets kept RR from accelerating.
Brief Scores: RR 151/9 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 33, Yashasvi Jaiswal 29; Varun Chakravarthy 2/17, Moeen Ali 2/23) vs KKR.
Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl against Rajasthan Royals in an IPL match. Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga comes in for Fazalhaq Farooqi in Royals, while Moeen Ali will play his first match in KKR colours in place of injured Sunil Narine.
Teams:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Ajinkya Rahane wasted no time proving his value in Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) batting lineup, smashing a brilliant 56 off 31 balls in their IPL 2025 opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). However, his efforts went in vain as KKR fell short, suffering a defeat. With their next match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Wednesday, the focus shifts to making a swift turnaround.
"I hope you all enjoyed my innings rather than me enjoying my batting," Rahane said in the post-match press conference.
"For me, it's all about contributing to the team, and that's what matters. Whatever runs I score, it's always about the contribution. A 56 in a winning cause would have been even better, but it's fine," he added.
Reflecting on the loss, Rahane pointed to KKR’s middle-order collapse as the turning point. At 107/1 after ten overs, they were well on track for a 200-plus total, especially with Sunil Narine’s 44 complementing Rahane’s half-century. However, the middle order, usually a strength for KKR, failed to capitalise, leading to a slump that saw them finish at 174/9.
Barring Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 30 at No. 5, contributions were minimal. KKR managed just 23 runs in the last four overs, a shortfall that proved decisive as RCB chased down the target comfortably, winning with 22 balls to spare.
"It’s the first game of the season, and we have a batting lineup that likes to play aggressive cricket," Rahane said.
"As a team, there were positives, but also areas where we can improve," he added.
Also see: IPL Schedule | IPL Live Score
