Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrashed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 8 wickets in the 25th match of IPL 2025, held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Sunil Narine, along with Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, and Moeen Ali, dismantled CSK’s batting lineup with their bowling. While chasing, Narine and Quinton de Kock gave KKR a flying start. In particular, Narine destroyed CSK’s bowling attack and did most of the damage before getting out.
Slow Start and Early Blows to CSK
Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl. CSK openers Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway walked out to bat. Vaibhav Arora started the attack for KKR. Conway hit a boundary in the first over. Moeen Ali bowled the second over, and CSK reached 10/0 after 2 overs.
In the third over, Moeen Ali dismissed Conway on the first ball. Conway managed 12 runs off 11 balls. Rahul Tripathi came in at number 3. Moeen bowled a brilliant over—maiden with a wicket.
Harshit Rana struck with the first ball of the fourth over. He removed Rachin, who scored only 4 from 9 balls. Vijay Shankar came in next. Rana gave away just 2 runs in the fifth over. CSK were struggling at 18/2, probably the lowest total in the powerplay after 5 overs in this season.
Shankar Tries to Revive the Innings
Varun Chakaravarthy came into the attack in the sixth over. Shankar hit two consecutive boundaries. After six overs, CSK reached 31/2. Tripathi was on 3 (8), and Shankar was on 12 (8).
Shankar finally connected a big shot and hit a six in the eighth over. A boundary in the same over helped CSK cross 50. Sunil Narine was introduced in the ninth. Shankar and Tripathi added crucial runs.
KKR Hit Back Again
Varun dismissed Shankar in the 10th over. He scored 29 off 21 balls. Shivam Dube came in next. After 10 overs, CSK were 61/3. Tripathi was on 15 (18), Dube on 1 (1).
Narine got Tripathi out in the 11th over. He scored 16 runs. CSK were 65/4. R. Ashwin walked in at No. 6. Rana bowled a tight over and removed Ashwin in the 13th. Jadeja came in next.
Collapse Continues
Narine dismissed Jadeja for a duck in the 14th over. Deepak Hooda replaced him. Varun struck again in the 15th over, sending Hooda back without scoring. Dhoni entered to bat at No. 8. Narine struck once more in the 16th over, removing Dhoni. Despite a review, the decision stood.
Tail Fails to Fire
Vaibhav Arora dismissed Noor Ahmad in the 18th over. Anshul Kamboj came in at No. 11. CSK were 84/9 after 18 overs. With a few late boundaries from Dube, CSK crawled to 103/9. Dube remained unbeaten on 31 (29), and Kamboj on 3 (3).
Narine Leads KKR’s Aggressive Chase
Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine opened for KKR. Khaleel Ahmed bowled the first over. Narine smashed a six on the last ball. In the next over, de Kock responded with a boundary. KKR raced to 19/0 in 2 overs.
Both openers kept attacking. After 4 overs, KKR were cruising at 46/0. Anshul Kamboj removed de Kock in the 5th over. He scored 23 (16). Ajinkya Rahane joined Narine at the crease.
Narine hammered 18 runs in the sixth over. After the powerplay, KKR were 71/1. Narine had 31 (13) with 2 fours and 3 sixes. Rahane was on 14 (8).
Wicket Comes Too Late
Narine hit two more sixes in the 7th over. Noor Ahmad dismissed him on the first ball of the 8th over. He scored a blazing 44 off 18 balls. Rinku Singh came in next. After 8 overs, KKR were 87/2.
Rahane and Rinku Seal the Deal
Rahane and Rinku played sensibly. After 10 overs, KKR were 98/2. Rinku finished the game in style with a six. KKR won the match by 8 wickets. Rinku remained unbeaten on 15 (12), and Rahane on 20 (17).