Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025 Match 53 by just 1 run, posting 206/4 in 20 overs, and Rajasthan fell 1 run short, finishing their innings at 205/8. 

Kolkata Knight Riders innings

KKR started their innings with great aggression from Andre Russell, who hit 57 runs from only 25 balls. Russell's innings was full of monstrous sixes. Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored 44 runs from 31 balls to keep the innings steady at the top after KKR lost an early wicket. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was able to add 35 runs from 25 balls to add momentum for KKR on the chase. Riyan Parag smashed a final cameo of 12 runs off 3 balls, and Jofra Archer finished strongly with 30 runs from only 4 balls, leading KKR to a match-winning 206 runs from their 20 overs. RR's bowlers had success with Varun Chakravarthy (2/26) and Harshit Rana (2/41), each taking 2 wickets, but couldn't stem the run flow at the end.

Rajasthan Royals innings

RR started their innings in an aggressive manner, led by the incredible Riyan Parag, who hit 95 runs from 45 balls. Parag struck numerous boundaries and sixes, keeping RR in the hunt. Yashasvi Jaiswal contributed 34 runs from 21 balls for the first wicket, and Shimron Hetmyer scored 29 runs from 23 balls. Sanju Samson added a quick 15 runs from 10 balls with a couple of boundaries but got out to a smart catch. KKR's bowling attack responded once two quick wickets from Yudhvir Singh (1/26) and Jofra Archer (1/30) raised some intent. At the end, Varun Chakravarthy (2/32) and Harshit Rana (2/41) were able to strike again in the death overs to take both Hetmyer and Moeen Ali. Needing 2 runs off the last ball, RR failed to score. In a dramatic finish to the game, RR finished their innings at 205 runs for 8 wickets, falling just 1 run short of a victory.

Also Read: Top 3 reasons why Rajasthan Royals Lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025 Match 53

KKR vs RR: Post Match Reactions

Andre Russell (Player of the Match): Russell was happy with the critical victory, calling the remaining matches "four finals." He acknowledged the surface was hard but backed himself to hit the ball hard, saying that with 15 balls to face, he could get 40 easily. He praised Rinku Singh's late knock and said an awareness of the scoreboard helps him target the bowlers well.

Ajinkya Rahane (KKR Captain): Rahane was excited about the close win and stated the whole team needed these 1-2 run wins to build confidence. He congratulated the Russell-Angkrish partnership and also praised Russell for creating something from nothing due to a slow start. He said fielding was a controllable factor and added that small moments sometimes when fielding create big differences in the game.

Rinku Singh (KKR): Rinku said good fielding was important; he liked it more than batting. He said Russell had played a good innings, and his job was to immediately look for the big shots upon entering.

Riyan Parag (RR Captain): Parag blamed himself for the loss and said he should have batted till the end. He accepted he made bad decisions in the power play and bad bowling changes. He gave credit to the spinners and to Russell's innings but acknowledged RR had not been clinical enough.

Read Also: Riyan Parag’s dream tweet turns into reality after blazing knock vs KKR in IPL 2025

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals: Match Scorecard

Kolkata Knight Riders – 206/4 (20 Overs)

Rajasthan Royals – 205/8 (20 Overs)