Published: May 04, 2025, 09:10 PM (IST)
Edited: May 04, 2025, 09:10 PM (IST)
Andre Russell roared back to form with a blistering unbeaten fifty as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) resisted Riyan Parag’s stunning 95 to edge out Rajasthan Royals (RR) by one-run in an IPL thriller that kept the defending champions’ slim playoff hopes alive at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Russell, who had been under scrutiny for his indifferent form this season, smashed a 25-ball 57 as KKR smashed 85 runs in the last five overs to post a commanding 206/4.
In reply, RR found themselves in tatters at 71/5 inside eight overs and they needed 105 runs from the last 48 balls, before stand-in skipper Parag kept their hopes alive through his brilliant knock.
But smart bowling changes from KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane ensured that Parag got out five short of his maiden IPL century, before Vaibhav Arora held his nerves under pressure in the final over, keeping RR down to 205/8.
Varun Chakravarthy was the stand-out player for KKR in the bowling department, finishing his 4-over spell with figures of 2/32.
The Royals required 22 runs off the last over and impact player Shubham Dube launched Arora for two sixes and a four to bring the equation down to 3 runs off the final delivery.
But a smart field switch by Rahane placing Rinku Singh at long-off proved to be decisive as his sharp throw found Arora at the non-striker’s end who ran out Jofra Archer to seal the thrilling win.
KKR now have 11 points from as many games and have moved up to sixth on the points table but still need to win the remaining three matches to have a sniff at the play-offs.
