Quinton de Kock's 97 Guides KKR to First Win of IPL 2025 with Commanding Chase Against RR

The compelling performance of Quinton de Kock’s thrilling 97 led to Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) convincing win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 contest. KKR was able to chase down the somewhat achievable total of 152 runs with ease and with 7 wickets remaining, granting them their first win of the season. Along with immense contributions from De Kock, young talent Angkrish Raghuvanshi helped build the chase with a calm 22 runs from 17 balls.

When set to bat first, KKR took full advantage of the pitch’s spin potential, anchoring themselves further into the win. This was made possible by disciplined spells from all pieces of their bowling unit, resulting in RR only obtaining 151 runs with 8 wickets left.

Rajasthan's display of batting was mediocre to say the least.

Since Jaiswal and Samson failed to capitalize on their solid start and the momentum they had built, Riyan Parag was forced to carry too much weight on his shoulders. His occasional implosion of crisp sixes was snuffed out before he was granted ample opportunity to make an impact.

As Dhruv Jurel’s 33 off 28 balls didn’t put any much-needed late acceleration into towards the total, the middle order again was left flagging. Shubham Dubey was brought on as the impact substitute but he could do nothing, while the lifting of Wanindu Hasaranga also was a waste of time. Only Archer provided modest relief as the tail-ender’s savagery helped RR scrape past the 150 mark after some strong hitting in the final overs.

For KKR’s, the scoring rate was well served by Moeen Ali and Varun Chakravarthy, who bowled two high quality spells of 2 for 21 and 2 for 25. In particular, their spell blended beautifully with the sluggish nature of the wicket.

KKR’s Dissecting the Target

KKR’s chase was always composed but still made a statement. Quietly at first, de Kock and Moeen dealt with the first attack from Jofra Archer unlike the previous overs. The South African then took control, hammering Maheesh Theekshana’s bowling with exquisite cuts on the off side.

Moeen’s lazy run-out after Powerplay momentarily checked proactivity, but RR trying to make too many changes with the spinners yielded some easy wins for KKR. Were those bad balls from Hasaranga. The South African made him pay by smashing his terrible length balls.

Although losing Ali and captain Ajinkya Rahane in quick succession was hard, de Kock stayed composed. He meticulously dismantled Jofra Archer in the final overs, and ended the match with a massive six straight down the ground.

De Kock's astonishing innings notched at a whopping 97, filled with effortless boundaries and sixes, led KKR to their first win of the season while RR faced their second consecutive loss.

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