The match was a rollercoaster of emotions, with momentum swinging both ways throughout. Riyan Parag lit up Eden Gardens with a sensational knock of 95, reviving Rajasthan Royals’ hopes after they were reeling at 71/5 in their pursuit of 207 to win. His explosive innings gave RR a fighting chance, while Shubham Dubey battled till the end. However, needing three to win off the final delivery, Shubham couldn’t hit the winning runs, and the Royals fell short by just one run. It was another last-over heartbreak for them, while Kolkata Knight Riders kept their playoff hopes alive.
It was a poor start yet again for RR, as early wickets pegged them back. Vaibhav Suryavanshi was dismissed in the opening over for the second game in a row, this time by Vaibhav Arora. Debutant Kunal Singh Rathore couldn’t make an impact either, falling to Moeen Ali. Just as Yashasvi Jaiswal was settling in with a fluent 34 off 21, he perished attempting a big shot, swinging the momentum back in KKR’s favour.
Varun Chakravarthy’s twin strikes further dented RR’s chances. The move to promote Wanindu Hasaranga up the order once again misfired, leaving Parag searching for support. Shimron Hetmyer answered that call, stitching together a brisk 92-run partnership with Parag in just eight overs. The RR skipper was the aggressor, scoring 62 of those runs. Moeen’s third over turned into a nightmare as he was taken apart for 32 runs, with Parag launching five sixes.
The carnage continued as Parag smashed the first ball of Varun’s next over for another six — making it six maximums in a row across two overs. However, the momentum didn’t last long as KKR’s impact substitute Harshit Rana lived up to his role, removing both Hetmyer and Parag in quick succession to swing the match back in his team’s favour. Shubham kept RR in the hunt until the final over, but Arora held his nerve and sealed the win for KKR.
Russell roars back in form with fiery fifty
A major takeaway from the game for KKR was Andre Russell’s return to form with a scintillating knock of 57 off just 25 balls, featuring six towering sixes and four boundaries. Coming into the match under pressure — having scored only 72 runs at an average of 10.28 this season — Russell’s performance was a timely boost for KKR, especially with every match crucial for their playoff hopes.
Promoted up the order after Rahane’s dismissal, Russell took a cautious approach early on against RR’s spinners before shifting gears. Once set, he launched a brutal assault, taking more than 20 runs off Maheesh Theekshana in the 18th over and punishing Jofra Archer with equal ferocity. Rinku Singh added firepower at the death with a rapid cameo, and the duo combined to hammer 85 runs in the final five overs. Akash Madhwal felt the heat in the last over, giving away 22 runs.
The innings had a solid foundation too. After Sunil Narine’s early exit, Ajinkya Rahane and Rahmanullah Gurbaz ensured a strong start, adding 56 runs for the second wicket. Although the scoring rate dipped to 7.22 between overs 7 to 15, the explosive finish allowed KKR to cross the 200-run mark.