IPL 2025: Quinton de Kock's unbeaten fifty guides Kolkata Knight Riders to victory over Rajasthan Royals by 8 wickets

Guwahati (Assam) [India], March 27 (ANI): Opener Quinton de Kock's marvellous batting performance stormed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to victory over Rajathan Royals (RR) by eight wickets in the sixth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday.
With this victory, Knight Riders opened their account in the ongoing 18th edition of the cash-rich league, whereas the Royals have lost both the matches in this competition.
Chasing a total of 152 runs, batters Moeen Ali and Quinton de Kock came out in the middle to open the innings for the defending champions. Both batters went on to score 40 runs in the powerplay. After the end of 6 overs, Moeen Ali (4*) and Quinton de Kock (34*) were unbeaten on the crease.
In the seventh over at the score of 41, the Kolkata-based franchise lost their opening wicket as Moeen Ali (5 runs off 12 balls) was sent back to the pavilion through a runout.
The defending champions completed the 50-run mark in the eighth over as Ajinkya Rahane took a single on the bowling of leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.
In the 11th over, KKR lost their second wicket as skipper Rahane (18 runs from 15 balls) was sent back to the dressing room by Hasaranga's bowling.
De Kock completed his half-century on the penultimate ball of the 11th over as he slammed a six on the bowling of Hasaranga.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led side completed the 100-run mark on the fourth ball of the 13th over as the left-hand batter took a single on the bowl of Hasaranga.
The southpaw finished off the match with a six in the 18th over of the innings. The wicketkeeper-batter (97* runs off 61 balls) remained unbeaten at the end, along with Angrish Raghuvanshi (22* runs from 17 balls).
For Rajasthan Royals, one wicket was snapped by a leg spinner in his three overs where he conceded 34 runs, whereas the other wicket came through a runout.
Earlier in the day, the Knight Riders restricted the Royals at 151/9 in their 20 overs with Tushar Deshpande (2*) and Maheesh Theekshana (1*) unbeaten on the crease.
Speaking of the first innings, KKR made an early breakthrough as Vaibhav Arora dismissed Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson for just 13, setting the stage for a disciplined bowling display.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and stand-in captain Riyan Parag attempted to rebuild with a 34-run partnership, but in-form Varun Chakravarthy provided the breakthrough, dismissing Parag for 25.
Jaiswal followed soon after, falling for 29 to Moeen Ali, who replaced Sunil Narine in the playing XI after Narine was ruled out due to illness.
The Royals continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Wanindu Hasaranga managed only 4 runs before becoming Chakravarthy's second victim. With RR struggling at 76/4 in 9.5 overs, KKR tightened their grip on the game.
Former KKR batter Nitish Rana couldn't make an impact against his old team, getting bowled by Moeen Ali for just 8.
RR reached the 100-run mark in 13.2 overs, but their batting struggles persisted. Shubham Dubey, brought in as an impact player, failed to make a difference, scoring only 9 off 12 balls.
Dhruv Jurel showed some resistance, scoring 33, but he was eventually cleaned up by Harshit Rana. Shimron Hetmyer also failed to get going, managing just 7 before falling to Rana, who picked up his second wicket.
The final blow came when Jofra Archer was bowled by Spencer Johnson for 16, as RR finished with a modest total of 151/9 in their 20 overs.
KKR's bowling unit delivered a disciplined performance, with each bowler chipping in with at least one wicket. Chakravarthy was the most economical, finishing with figures of 2/17, while Moeen Ali claimed 2/23. Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora also took two wickets each, while Spencer Johnson picked up one.
Brief Score: Rajasthan Royals 151/9 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 33, Yashasvi Jaiswal 29, Varun Chakravarthy 2/17) vs Kolkata Knight Riders 153/2 in 17.3 overs (Quinton de Kock 97*, Angrish Raghuvanshi 22*, Wanindu Hasaranga 1/34). (ANI)