It was a nail-biter end to the match at Eden Gardens as Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals became an immediate IPL 2025 classic. KKR pushed Rajasthan Royals by a single run, defending a giant total of 206 despite a record-breaking six-streak by Riyan Parag.
Russell, Rinku Power KKR to 206
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Andre Russell, elevated to No. 5, propelled Kolkata Knight Riders to a dominating score with an unbeaten 57 from 25 balls. Slow at the start at 2 off 9 balls, Russell changed gear late, hitting 4 sixes and 4 fours. He decimated Maheesh Theekshana in the 18th over with three successive sixes.
Rinku Singh gave the finishing touch, scoring 19* off 6 balls, two of which were sixes in the final over bowled by Akash Madhwal, who gave away 50 runs in 3 overs.
KKR’s Powerplay: Good Beginning but Spin Dulls Them Down
Openers Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz began with a belligerent note but succumbed to Yudhvir Singh and Maheesh Theekshana, respectively. Ajinkya Rahane began brightly with 25 runs, with a straight six, but lost steam in the middle overs due to spin bowling being on top. Between the 6th to the 10th over, KKR scored only 30 runs.
Riyan Parag Hits 6 Consecutive Sixes in Historic Assault
Riyan Parag made IPL history by hitting 6 sixes in 6 consecutive deliveries, the first to do so in the league’s history. His rampage started in the 13th over, when he hit 5 sixes off Moeen Ali, along with a wide, adding 32 runs from the over.
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In the following over, Parag dispatched his sixth straight six—a reverse sweep against Varun Chakravarthy, joining the record books of Yuvraj Singh and Kieron Pollard (who had done it across all formats, but not in IPL). Royals Fall Short by One Run Despite Parag’s 95
Parag’s heroics almost achieved the impossible. Set to chase 207, RR were struggling at 71/5, but Parag’s 95-run innings put them back in the mix. He was eventually run out attempting a seventh six off Harshit Rana.
Shubham Dube chipped in with 25 runs briefly, but in the last over, Vaibhav Arora kept his cool, defending 21 runs to give KKR a 1-run victory in one of the closest IPL 2025 matches.
Post-Match Report: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals
KKR Score: 206/4 in 20 overs
Top Scorers: Andre Russell (57* off 25), Rinku Singh (19* off 6), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (29)
RR Score: 205/7 in 20 overs
Top Scorers: Riyan Parag (95 off 39), Shubham Dube (25), Moeen Ali (32-run over)
Result: KKR won by 1 run
The Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals match was an exciting display of power-hitting and high drama. Although Riyan Parag’s six-streak will be talked about for years to come, it was KKR’s calm death bowling and Russell’s aggressive late push that wrapped up the match. This win keeps KKR’s playoff chances alive in IPL 2025.
ALSO READ: IPL 2025: Riyan Parag Smashes 6 Sixes In A Row, Creates History At Eden Gardens
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