IPL 2025: Kolkata Knight Riders Seal Much-Needed Win To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive, Beat Delhi Capitals By 14 Runs

IPL 2025: The Kolkata Knight Riders have kept their playoff hopes alive. The defending champions have defeated the high-flying Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. KKR sealed a 14-run victory with their clinical outing with the ball, which kept the Capitals at bay. Unfortunately, skipper Ajinkya Rahane had to sit out in majority of the second innings dur to an injury scare. Even Axar Patel's hand was taped after he hurt his hand after making a dive.

KKR Seal Huge Win Against DC, Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

Delhi Capitals saw an early wicket fall as Abhishek Porel was dismissed at four after being caught out by Anukul Roy. Karun Nair was also dismissed at 15 after Vaibhav Arora trapped him in an LBW. KL Rahul also fell early after a successful run-out, but Faf du Plessis looked in great form as he stitched a clinical partnership with skipper Axar Patel, who is battling an injury issue with his hand. The DC captain was eventually taken down at 43. Tristan Stubbs also walked back early, leaving the onus on Vipraj Nigam. The play took a crucial turn when Faf du Plessis was dismissed at 62. Ashutosh Sharma had to walk back at seven, while Starc was dismissed for a duck. Vippi pulled off a rescue effort but was eventually dismissed after a 19-ball 38.

A timely wicket from KKR's Anukul Roy gave them an early breakthrough, while Vaibhav Arora took a wicket as well. Sunil Narine displayed exceptional bowling skills with a three-wicket haul. Varun Chakaravarthy also pulled off consecutive wickets to give the much-needed boost to KKR.  

Also Read: IPL 2025, DC vs KKR: Dushmantha Chameera's Aerial Antics Secure Key Wicket, Dismisses Anukul Roy For A Duck

DC Restricted KKR In What Looked Like A Chaseable Total

The Kolkata Knight Riders started strong, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sunil Narine delivering effective shots to keep the team ahead. The Afghan stumper scored 26, while Narine made 27 runs before being dismissed. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane scored 26 runs, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi led the Knight Riders with a heroic 44-run knock. Rinku Singh also performed admirably in the middle order, scoring 36 runs off 25 deliveries. Vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer was unable to score big, and Russell also contributed with a nine-ball 17. By the end of the innings, the Knight Riders had scored 204.

The Delhi Capitals' bowling looked bleak at first, as KKR scored some runs and got off to a good start. However, the bowlers quickly reversed their momentum by taking timely wickets. Mitchell Starc came in clutch in the final over, taking consecutive wickets to bring his total to three. Dushmantha Chameera also took a wicket, and captain Axar Patel and Vipraj Nigam each took two wickets to bring the total to nine.

Also Read: IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals Skipper Axar Patel Leaves Field Due to Injury to His Left Hand After Diving in The Field