KKR playoff hopes all but over after defeat to CSK

KATHMANDU: Former champions Kolkata Knight Riders are on the brink of elimination from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoff race following a disappointing two-wicket defeat to bottom-ranked Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday at Eden Gardens.

Batting first, Kolkata posted a competitive total of 179 for 6.

Captain Ajinkya Rahane led the charge with a solid 48, while Andre Russell smashed 38 off 21 balls.

Manish Pandey remained unbeaten on 26, and Sunil Narine added a quickfire 26. For Chennai, Noor Ahmad was the standout performer with the ball, claiming 4 wickets for 31 runs in his four-over spell.

Chasing 180, Chennai found themselves in deep trouble at 60 for 5.

However, a brilliant counter-attack by Dewald Brevis, who scored 51 off just 25 balls, along with explosive cameos from Urvil Patel (31 off 11) and Shivam Dube (45 off 40), guided the Super Kings to victory with two balls to spare.

For Kolkata, Vaibhav Arora picked up 3 wickets but was expensive, conceding 48 runs in three overs.

Varun Chakravarthy was economical and effective, taking 2 wickets for just 18 runs in four overs, while Harshit Rana also chipped in with 2 wickets.

Following the loss, KKR sit sixth on the table with 11 points from 12 matches.

While a mathematical chance of qualification remains, their hopes hinge on other results and net run rate, making progression to the playoffs highly unlikely.

Meanwhile, Chennai remains at the bottom of the standings with 6 points.