The high-octane match between CSK and KKR on 7th May 2025 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, broke the heart of the playoff-hoping KKR team, as the Super Kings pulled off a narrow win over the Knights by 2 wickets. KKR chose to bat first and ended up scoring a respectable 179/6. It was a slow start for the Kings to chase down, but Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube had the innings turned around by their aggressive batting of 52 off 25 balls and 45 off 20 balls, respectively.
Rahane won the toss and KKR decided to bat first, trying to post a big score for the opposition. Gurbaz and Narine opened for KKR, but they fell short as Gurbaz was dismissed for 11 and Narine gave a steady 26.
Rahane took control of the innings by anchoring a 48 off 33 balls. KKR scored 179 for 6 thanks to assistance from Manish Pandey (36 from 28) and Andre Russell (38 from 21). The batting was not easy for KKR as their batters struggled against CSK’s spinners, especially Noor Ahmad, who took four wickets.
CSK’s chase started on a shaky note, with Mhatre chopping one on and Convey getting out for a duck in the early overs. However, debutant Urvil Patel played his hand perfectly, scoring 31 off of 11 balls and giving the team much-needed impetus. Still, the KKR bowlers remained in the fight for the playoffs and restricted CSK to 60 for 5.
Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube brought CSK back in the game and pummelled Vaibhav Arora for 3 sixes and 3 fours in the 11th over. The timely wicket of Brevis, who scored 52 off 25 balls, at the hands of Varun Chakravarthy raised KKR’s hopes once again.
Eighteen runs in the last two overs was the target. Dube, however, went back to the pavilion after scoring 45 off 40. MS Dhoni then took charge and led CSK home. He hit a six off the first ball of the last over to delight his fans and finally won the game on air with his grit.
Coming in at the bottom of the points table would feel somewhat ironic for CSK, given their history & glory. KKR tried to seize this precious opportunity to keep their playoff dreams alive. Yet this dream turned to ash thanks to CSK spinners. While their road to victory remains difficult, they are not out of contention just yet, they must win the last two games to get to the playoffs.
Read More: Rohit Sharma Announced His Retirement from Test Cricket
Scorecard, KKR vs CSK, 57th Match IPL 2025, Kolkata, May 7, 2025
Kolkata Knight Riders 179/6
Ajinkya Rahane 48 (33)
Andre Russell 38 (21)
Manish Pandey 36 (28)
Vaibhav Arora 3/48
Varun Chakravarthy 2/18
Harshit Rana 2/43
Chennai Super Kings 183/8
Dewald Brevis 52 (25)
Shivam Dube 45 (40)
Urvil Patel 31 (11)
Noor Ahmad 4/31
Ravindra Jadeja 1/34
Anshul Kamboj 1/38