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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane looked despondent after his team’s miserable batting show against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match held in Mohali. Chasing a target of 112 runs, KKR capitulated to 95 runs in just 15.1 overs. Following the low target, Kolkata struggled against PBKS’ exceptional bowling. Yuzvendra Chahal was too hot to handle for defending champions as the spin wizard held his nerves and clinched 4/18 figures in his four overs. Except for Angkrish Raghuvanshi, no player could display fighting spirit against Punjab. Andre Russell scored 17 off 11 but failed to take his team home eventually, falling against Marco Jansen.
After the match, when players from both sides met one another for a post-match handshake, Rahane shook hands with his PBKS counterpart Shreyas Iyer and said, "Kya faltu batting kari humne," (What a miserable batting effort by us). Both Rahane and Shreyas are teammates in domestic side Mumbai and they also shared a hug following the remark from KKR captain.
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KKR to host Gujarat Titans in Kolkata in IPL 2025
Kolkata haven’t looked consistent in this tournament, thus far. Their next challenge will be against the leaders of the points table Gujarat Titans (GT), who have shown discipline in the competition. The Shubman Gill-led side is leading the table with four wins and two losses in six outings.
KKR will play against GT on April 21,at the iconic Eden Gardens, which has delivered batting-friendly turfs in this T20 extravaganza. Noting the fact, the hosts and reigning champions will be expecting their batters to step up and score big runs. Kolkata have played against Gujarat in four games with the 2022 champions holding an upper hand over the Ajinkya Rahane-led team with a margin of 2-1. In 2024, the match between both teams got washed out due to rain in Ahmedabad.
