The Kolkata Knight Riders have scored 179 runs with strong performances from Rahane (48), Russell (38), and Pandey (36*), despite Noor’s impressive bowling with 4-31. They are currently playing against the Chennai Super Kings.
In the final league match of IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens, Noor Ahmad proved his skill on a turning pitch by taking four crucial wickets. Despite facing 20 difficult shots against spin, KKR managed to reach a score of 179 for 6. CSK’s trio of spinners also played a significant role in limiting KKR’s total, collectively taking 5 wickets for 84 runs in just 11 overs.
With the current circumstances and having Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Moeen Ali in their attack, KKR could potentially have had a more positive outlook going into the innings break.
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Opting to bat first, KKR likely recognized the importance of taking advantage of the powerplay. Setting the tone was Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who unfortunately became the initial batsman to be dismissed after scoring 11 runs off nine deliveries. During his brief stint at the crease, he managed to hit a boundary and a maximum, but also swung and missed frequently before ultimately chipping one directly to midwicket.
Narine and Ajinkya Rahane carried on with the same attacking approach, propelling KKR to a score of 67 for 1 after six overs. Together, they managed to hit a total of eight fours and two sixes during the powerplay. Despite not appearing completely in control, Rahane was given a lifeline when Matheesha Pathirana dropped him at long leg. Both batsmen continued to aggressively take on the bowling during this time period. Narine, who had previously scored 118 runs off just 48 balls against R Ashwin with only one dismissal, confidently took 14 runs off the spinner in the fifth over.
Following Ashwin’s successful seventh over that only allowed two runs, KKR struggled with the ball frequently turning sharply and failed to hit any boundaries in the initial four overs after the powerplay. Additionally, they also lost two wickets during Noor’s first over: Narine was stumped when the ball slipped between his legs, and Raghuvanshi was caught behind after edging one.
After Venkatesh Iyer got injured, Rahane and Manish Pandey took the field and managed to score 32 runs in 28 balls. However, it was Andre Russell’s arrival that truly made a difference for KKR. With his 38 runs off 21 balls, he propelled the team to add 70 more runs in their final six overs. Despite Pathirana ending the innings with a single-filled last over, it was Russell who drove KKR towards a successful finish.
