RR vs KKR, IPL 2025 Highlights: Spirited Quinton de Kock shines as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets

RR vs KKR, IPL Cricket Live Score: Kolkata Knight Riders' bowlers delivered a collective performance, restricting Rajasthan Royals to 151/9 in their IPL clash on Wednesday. Varun Chakravarthy (2/17 from 4 overs) and Moeen Ali (2/23 from 4 overs) made the most of the tricky pitch, turning the ball effectively. Meanwhile, seamer Vaibhav Arora (2/33 from 4 overs) mixed up his pace to claim vital wickets. Harshit Rana also contributed with a couple of dismissals.Though Yashasvi Jaiswal (29 off 24 balls) and stand-in captain Riyan Parag (25 off 15 balls) started well, neither could convert their innings. Dhruv Jurel top-scored with 33 off 28 balls.Brief Scores: RR 151/9 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 33, Yashasvi Jaiswal 29; Varun Chakravarthy 2/17, Moeen Ali 2/23) vs KKR.Veteran all-rounder Moeen Ali comes into the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) playing eleven as captain Ajinkya Rahane won the toss and elected to bowl first against Rajasthan Royals in Match 6 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.Both KKR, the defending champions, and RR are coming into this clash after suffering defeat in their respective opening games of the tournament. Moeen, the former England off-spin bowling all-rounder, comes in for Sunil Narine, who is unwell and won’t be playing the game for KKR.“The wicket looks really good. If we bowl first, we'll get an idea of how this wicket is. Dew factor is huge here. It's about staying positive, this format is all about being fearless, playing with intent.”“We played very good cricket. T20 is all about giving your best each and every day. We are looking forward to this game. We learnt a lot from the last game. We want to stay in the moment. I don't look at the stars that much, for me, it's all about contributing,” said Rahane after winning the toss.Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag got huge cheers from his home crowd and was humbled by the reception offered to him. He said RR have made one change too, with leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga coming for left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi. “Very proud, very humbled (to be leading RR). The middle-order really stepped up. A lot of positives with the ball as well,” said Parag.Playing XIs:Kolkata Knight Riders: Quinton de Kock (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Spencer Johnson, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana and Varun ChakaravarthyImpact Substitutes: Anrich Nortje, Manish Pandey, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy and Luvnith SisodiaRajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (captain), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, and Sandeep SharmaImpact Substitutes: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh and Kwena MaphakaAfter suffering defeats in their previous matches, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals will be eager to bounce back when they face off in an IPL encounter on Wednesday. KKR fell to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by seven wickets in the tournament opener, while RR endured a heavy 44-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad.Both teams struggled in their respective matches, with their batting and bowling units failing to deliver.While Rajasthan’s bowlers could blame the flat Hyderabad pitch for their struggles, Kolkata had no such excuse. Apart from Sunil Narine, none of KKR’s bowlers managed to contain RCB’s batters, raising concerns, particularly about mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Despite playing on an Eden Gardens pitch that offered some grip, Chakravarthy was taken apart by Phil Salt and Virat Kohli.The KKR camp hopes that the spinner will regain his rhythm on a Guwahati surface that traditionally offers some assistance. They will also be monitoring the fitness of Anrich Nortje, who is recovering from a back strain. If cleared by the medical team, the South African pacer is expected to replace Spencer Johnson in the playing XI.KKR’s Middle Order Under PressureKKR’s middle-order collapse in the previous match was another area of concern. Despite a fiery start from skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Narine, the team failed to capitalize, eventually posting a below-par total.Key batters like Venkatesh Iyer and Andre Russell fell to premeditated cross-batted shots, something the team will look to rectify. KKR will also be hoping for a strong performance from Rinku Singh, who has struggled for runs in recent outings. His finishing ability is crucial in converting competitive totals into formidable ones. Rinku’s recent T20 form has been underwhelming, with scores of 11, 9, 8, 30, and 9 in his last five international innings, along with a 12 in the IPL opener.RR’s Bowling Needs a TurnaroundOn the other hand, Rajasthan’s bowling unit needs a major improvement after their dismal showing against SRH. Jofra Archer, who recorded the most expensive spell in IPL history by conceding 76 runs, along with Fazalhaq Farooqi and Maheesh Theekshana, struggled against the aggressive batting of Travis Head and Ishan Kishan. Guwahati presents them with a chance to redeem themselves.Stand-in captain Riyan Parag also faces a leadership test. At times, he appeared uncertain in making key decisions against SRH, and the Royals will be looking for sharper decision-making from him in this crucial fixture.Squads:Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnity Sisodia, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markhande, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Chetan Sakariya.Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (stand-in captain), Sanju Samson, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.