Kolkata Knight Riders' Leadership Group Under Scanner, Decoding Defending Champions' Biggest Issue In IPL 2025

IPL 2025: Kolkata Knight Riders are going horribly wrong in the ongoing eighteenth edition of the Indian Premier League, and their recent game against Punjab Kings testifies to it. Before the start of IPL 2025, the defending champions were touted as favorites to win the tournament, but things do not really look very bright for them at this point in time.

Kolkata Knight Riders had to chase just 111 runs against the Punjab Kings, a team being led by their former IPL-winning skipper Shreyas Iyer, but they ended up losing the clash by 16 runs. Kolkata Knight Riders are in seventh place on the IPL 2025 points table. After seven games, the defending champions have lost four and won just three, but their loss against Punjab Kings has dented their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.

KKR currently have a Net Run Rate of +0.547. They had a fair chance of winning the game against Punjab, considering the low score, but the defending champions made a complete mockery of it.

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KKR's Clueless Team Management Leading To Their Downfall

The Kolkata Knight Riders team management has been playing 'musical chairs' with the players, and there is no better way to put it across. The team at this moment looks clueless. Be it team selection, reading conditions, or performing with the bat, Ajinkya Rahane's Kolkata Knight Riders at the moment look out of touch and out of plans.

The KKR bowlers did a great job of restricting Punjab to 111 runs, and they are hardly to be blamed for it. It is the batters who failed to deliver, and this has been KKR's story of IPL 2025. For reasons only known to the team management, the defending champions dropped Moeen Ali and included Anrich Nortje in their playing XI.

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KKR has made three changes in their last three games, and this is the biggest reason for their downfall this season. 

Kolkata Knight Riders' Playoff Qualification Chances Under Threat

The Knight Riders still have seven matches left in their campaign. Thankfully, they have a positive Net Run Rate, and it might help their playoff qualification chances. In all their seven matches left, Kolkata Knight Riders need to win at least five of them to better their chances of going to the next round.