Did Riyan Parag's 95 Fall Short in IPL 2025 Thriller?

Kolkata, May 4 (NationPress) Riyan Parag's remarkable innings of 95 was not enough as the Rajasthan Royals faced a dramatic one-run defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders in an exhilarating IPL 2025 match held at Eden Gardens on Sunday.

In their chase of 207 runs, Rajasthan stumbled early with Vaibhav Suryavanshi (4) and debutant Kunal Singh Rathore (0) falling cheaply during the powerplay.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Parag then formed a vital partnership, stabilizing the innings and propelling Rajasthan to 59/2 by the end of the powerplay. However, Moeen Ali's breakthrough in the seventh over, dismissing Jaiswal for 34 (which included five fours and a six), put Rajasthan under pressure.

Varun Chakaravarthy took full advantage of the situation, claiming the wickets of Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasaranga for ducks in a single over, leaving Rajasthan struggling at 71/5 in 7.5 overs.

Despite the dire circumstances, Parag's dazzling performance kept Rajasthan in contention, even after they lost half their side before the 10-over mark.

With Shimron Hetmyer supporting him, Parag brought Rajasthan close to the target, particularly enjoying his battle against Moeen, hitting the spinner for five sixes in the 13th over to score 32 runs in that over alone.

He hit his sixth consecutive six against Chakaravarthy in the following over. Hetmyer also contributed with a six off Sunil Narine in the 15th over, bringing RR to 155/5 after 15 overs.

As the chase continued, the requirement of 52 runs from 30 balls slightly favored Rajasthan, but the loss of Hetmyer shifted momentum back to KKR.

In a critical moment during the 18th over, Parag's innings concluded at 95 runs off 45 balls, adorned with eight sixes and six fours, diminishing Rajasthan's hopes of their fourth win of the season.

In the final over, needing 22 runs with Jofra Archer on strike, Rajasthan's last push was thwarted. Archer managed a double on the first ball but only a single on the next. Shubham Dubey's six, four, and another six brought it down to three runs needed off the last ball. However, Vaibhav Arora bowled a perfect yorker, allowing only a single, sealing the thrilling victory for KKR.

Earlier in the match, Andre Russell's explosive half-century and Angkrish Raghuvanshi's 31-ball 44 propelled KKR to a total of 206/4.

In the closing five overs, KKR plundered 85 runs, thanks to Russell and Raghuvanshi's aggressive batting. Russell finished unbeaten on 57 off just 25 balls, including six sixes and four fours.

After opting to bat first, KKR faced early setbacks as Yudhvir Singh dismissed Sunil Narine for 11. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane joined Rahmanullah Gurbaz to steady the innings.

Gurbaz found form with back-to-back fours against Yudhvir Singh, while Rahane hit a six over mid-wicket, finishing the over with 15 runs. The Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter continued to attack, hitting a maximum against Maheesh Theekshana, gathering 11 runs from the penultimate over of the powerplay.

Rahane capitalized on the sixth over, launching Akash Madhwal for a six and four, concluding the powerplay at 56/1.

The second-wicket partnership of 56 runs was broken by Theekshana in the eighth over, with Gurbaz departing after scoring 35 off 25 balls.

Raghuvanshi, batting at number four, quickly found his rhythm against Wanindu Hasaranga, striking a boundary, and kept the runs flowing against Riyan Parag.

In the 13th over, Parag took his revenge by dismissing Rahane for 30, as KKR stood at 111/3.

Russell joined Raghuvanshi, raising the scoring rate with their aggressive play.

Russell accelerated in Madhwal's 16th over, smashing four, six, and four consecutively for 15 runs, and he continued his assault against Jofra Archer, hitting a six and four.

Russell's explosive batting included three consecutive sixes off Theekshana in the 18th over, propelling KKR past the 150-run mark. He also became the third KKR player to achieve 1000 IPL runs at Eden Gardens, following Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa.

With just six runs shy of his half-century, Raghuvanshi was caught off Archer's first ball in the penultimate over.

Russell maintained his momentum, hitting a six and a four to secure his first half-century of the season in just 22 balls.

In the final over, Rinku took control, smashing a four and two sixes off consecutive balls, amassing 22 runs from the nine-ball over, which included three wides from Madhwal.

Final scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 206/4 in 20 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 44, Andre Russell 57 not out; Jofra Archer 1-30, Maheesh Theekshana 1-41) defeated Rajasthan Royals 205/8 in 20 overs (Riyan Parag 95, Yashasvi Jaiswal 34; Varun Chakaravarthy 2-32, Harshit Rana 2-41) by one run.