Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders Highlights, IPL 2025.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bagged an impressive 8-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their IPL 2025 encounter, riding on a blistering unbeaten 97 from Quinton de Kock. KKR hunted down a target of 181 in style, leaving 11 deliveries to get home, with De Kock’s masterclass of an innings steering the innings back from danger. De Kock fell shy of a hard-earned hundred by just three runs. His innings, studded with aggressive and well-placed shots, kept KKR in command all through the run-chase.

Rajasthan Royals, who batted first, put on a fighting total of 180 for 6 from their 20 overs. The platform was set by Jos Buttler with a rich 62 off 39 balls, and the finishing touches were given by Riyan Parag with a 21-ball 41. But KKR’s controlled bowling, spearheaded by Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, kept RR from scoring an even larger total. Narine grabbed 2 pivotal wickets at a tight economy, while Russell contributed with a couple of incisive breakthroughs to disrupt RR’s middle-over momentum.

KKR’s pursuit began solidly, with De Kock and Phil Salt contributing 67 runs for the opening wicket. Following Salt’s dismissal for 32, skipper Shreyas Iyer played a calm innings of 29 before getting out to Trent Boult. But De Kock was rock-solid at the crease, picking up pace in the second half of the innings and sending the RR bowlers to all corners of the ground. His 97* off 55 balls, with 12 fours and 3 sixes, was a mix of timing and strength, tearing apart RR’s bowling attack.

With this thorough victory, KKR consolidated their spot in the IPL 2025 points table, demonstrating their supremacy with both bat and ball. Rajasthan Royals, however, will have to revisit their bowling strategy after they were unable to defend a good total. De Kock’s match-winning innings was one of the best batting performances this season, again solidifying KKR’s reputation as title contenders to watch out for.