Kolkata, May 4 (UNI) A ferocious late onslaught by Andre Russell powered Kolkata Knight Riders to a commanding 206 for 4 against Rajasthan Royals in Match 53 of the Indian Premier League 2025 at Eden Gardens on Sunday.

Opting to bat first, KKR made full use of a dry afternoon pitch, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz setting the tempo early with a 25-ball 35, while young Angkrish Raghuvanshi impressed with a fluent 44 off 31 balls. Captain Ajinkya Rahane chipped in with a 30 off 24.

But it was the final overs that lit up the Eden Gardens, thanks to a destructive partnership between Russell and Rinku Singh that yielded 65 runs off the last 23 balls. Russell, who brought up his first fifty of the season, smashed 57* off just 25 balls, hitting 4 fours and 6 sixes. He became the third batsman to cross 1,000 IPL runs at this venue for KKR.

Rinku Singh (19* off 6) joined the party in the final over, clobbering Akash Madhwal for two sixes and a four in successive deliveries. A juicy full toss was flicked over square leg for six before another was smoked 89 metres over mid-wicket, taking KKR past 200 in style.

The acceleration began in the 16th over, when Russell ended a lean phase with back-to-back boundaries and a six off Akash Madhwal. The carnage continued against Maheesh Theekshana, who was struck for three sixes in the 17th over, including a monstrous 94m hit. Jofra Archer’s sharp short deliveries were also dispatched, with Russell and Rinku cashing in on anything off-length.

Rajasthan bowlers struggled to contain Kolkata, with Madhwal conceding 50 in his 3 overs. Theekshana and Riyan Parag managed to pick up a wicket each, but were also taken for runs. Archer was the most economical with 1/30 in his four overs.

Earlier in the innings, Yudhvir Singh had given Rajasthan an early breakthrough by cleaning up Sunil Narine (11) and Theekshana dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a well-directed delivery. Rahane and Raghuvanshi then added 42 steady runs before Parag removed the KKR skipper with a clever round-arm off-break.

KKR, who won the toss and batted first, now have a robust total to defend as Rajasthan prepare to chase 207 — a target that will test even their in-form top order.

UNI BDN RN