KKR vs RR Highlights: KKR keep playoff hopes alive, beat RR by 1 run

Kolkata Knight Riders win a last ball thriller against Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata to keep their IPL 2025 playoff hopes alive. A 1-run win on the night keep them barely in the contention for the top 4 as they now need 3 from 3 in order to stay in the tournament.  RR skipper Riyan parag's fiery 95 went in vain eventually as he couldn't see his side through on the night. The loss has them stuck on 8th spot with 3 wins in 12 games so far in the season. Vaibhav Arora was looking distraught after the last ball needed just 3 runs while he was given 22 runs to defend in the final over.  However, the pacer held his nerves and bowled a good last ball that saw the RR batters fail to take 2 runs and force a super over on the night.  RR opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi failed to score runs again today as he was sent back on his second delivery after scoring a boundary off the first one. It was skipper Parag that gave the side the much needed momentum with his 95 runs but he too couldn't keep his calm and stay till the end for his side. 

  Russell's fifty powers KKR to 206/4  Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders posted a formidable total of 206/4, setting a 207-run target for Rajasthan Royals.  

Opting to bat first, KKR suffered an early setback as Sunil Narine was dismissed for just 11 runs, bowled by Yudhvir Singh. However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ajinkya Rahane steadied the innings with a 38-run stand before Gurbaz fell to Maheesh Theekshana.

 

Rahane followed soon after, getting out for 30. It was then that Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Andre Russell injected momentum back into the innings, forging a 61-run partnership. Russell entertained the Eden Gardens crowd with his trademark big-hitting, bringing up his half-century in just 22 balls and finishing with 57 runs.

 

Raghuvanshi contributed a handy 44, narrowly missing out on a fifty. Rinku Singh added a valuable 19-run cameo in the final over, helping KKR cross the 200-run mark and finish strongly.