IPL 2025, RR vs KKR Highlights: Quinton de Kock, spinners power Kolkata Knight Riders to clinical 8-wicket win

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IPL 2025, RR vs KKR Highlights: Quinton de Kock played a magnificent 97-run* knock to make the 152-run chase a cakewalk for the Kolkata Knight Riders as they won the match by 8 wickets to open their account on the points table. Varun Chakaravarthy and Moeen Ali showed their class with the ball as Kolkata Knight Riders restricted Rajasthan Royals to 151/9. Dhruv Jurel was the highest run-getter for the Royals with his 33-run knock. While Varun, Moeen, Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora shared two wickets each for the Knight Riders in Guwahati.

Chakaravarthy returned to his best and claimed the crucial wicket of Riyan Parag for 25 to open his account. The local boy looked solid, but he failed to convert the start to a big score in Guwahati. Vaibhav Arora hit the timber and sent Sanju Samson back in the pavilion for 13. The swashbuckling opener looked to break the shackles but failed to get anything on the ball. Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. KKR will miss the important services of Sunil Narine as Rahane asserted that he is not well at the moment. Moeen Ali named his replacement in the XI for the Royals clash. Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be in search of their first win of the season when they take on Rajasthan Royals in the IPL match on Wednesday at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati. The two teams have started their tournament on an underwhelming note, with losses in their opening matches. KKR were outclassed completely by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the tournament opener after the underwhelming performance of their middle-order and bowlers. The defending champions struggled against the RCB spinners as the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh and Andre Russell failed to get going. Meanwhile, the KKR spin duo Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine failed to make any impact as Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Phil Salt stood tall against the challenger.

Rajasthan Royals also endured a tough defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad after their bowlers leaked 286 runs. Their strike bowler Jofra Archer had a forgettable outing after conceding the most expensive spell in IPL history with 76 runs runs in his four overs. No Rajasthan bowlers managed to the Sunrisers Hyderabad mayhem as Ishan Kishan and Travis Head smashed everyone all around the park. The batting unit did put up a solid fight back, with Dhruv Jurel and Sanju Samson hitting half-centuries, while young Shubham Dubey showcased his six-hitting talent on the big stage.

The Knight Riders will be desperate for Rinku Singh to regain his finishing touch in the lower order, as his contributions can turn a competitive total into an imposing one.

However, his recent T20 form has been underwhelming, with scores of 11, 9, 8, 30, and 9 in his last five international appearances, along with a 12 in KKR’s IPL opener.

KKR bowling coach Bharat Arun is also not bothered about big hitters Andre Russell and Rinku Singh not contributing much in KKR's total of 174 for 8, which RCB overhauled with 22 balls remaining.

"Sport is about failing. You fail more often, then you succeed. Of course, champions like Russell, I think it must be weighing in his mind that he failed last game and he is out to prove every single game. We are also hoping that he will really come good in tomorrow's game.

"Rinku has bated beautifully in the games leading up to the tournament. We are not too worried about his form."

Rajasthan Royals' stand-in captain, Riyan Parag, exudes confidence in leading the team during Sanju Samson’s absence. He emphasized that the transition has been seamless, thanks to the strong backing of senior players and the coaching staff.

Despite the defeat in Hyderabad, Parag highlighted the positives, particularly the middle order's strong performance.

"I feel the middle order is always the backbone of any batting order. For them to step up like they did, for them to bat like they did, regardless of the end result, I think that's a big plus because we are not going to give 280 every game of the season. There are going to be 180, 140, 150 games and that's where we'll need them the most," he explained.

Highlights of the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders in Guwahati:

- Quinton de Kock scores 97* off 61 as Kolkata Knight Riders (153/2) beat Rajasthan Royals (151/9) by 8 wickets

- Quinton de Kock scored fifty in 36 balls. Kolkata Knight Riders 79/2 in 10.5 overs vs Rajasthan Royals (151/9) in Guwahati

- Moeen Ali departed after a sluggish start; he managed to score just five off 12 balls.

- Rajasthan Royals score 151/9 (D Jurel 33; V Chakaravarthy 2/17) in 20 overs vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Guwahati.

- Varun Chakaravarthy got the better of Riyan Parag for 25 to break the crucial stand. Moeen Ali soon joined the party to get rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal.

- Vaibhav Arora claimed the first wicket of the match as he got the better of Sanju Samson for 13.

- Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl vs Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati.