KKR, PBKS record huge wins on double-header Sunday

KKR kicked off a thrilling Sunday double-header with a nail-biting one-run win over the Rajasthan Royals. The defending champions kept their playoff hopes alive with this narrow victory. Later in the day, PBKS hosted LSG in Dharamshala and defeated them for the second time this season, boosting their chances of reaching the playoffs.

KKR: The Andre Russell show

KKR are the defending champions, but IPL 2025 is full of ups and downs for them. They are still in contention of making it to the last four but need wins to confirm their spot. Rajasthan Royals are already out of the competition after suffering a defeat in their last encounter.

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Kolkata chose to bowl on a hot afternoon. Sunil Narine failed to provide a quick start, but Gurbaz played a decent cameo of 35 to keep the scoreboard ticking. Rahane also scored some runs along with the youngster, Angkrish Raghuvanshi.

KKR were heading to a decent total but needed someone to hit the ball out of the park. For the first time this season, Andre Russell was promoted to fifth in the batting order. The West Indian didn’t disappoint as he smashed 57 in just 25 balls. He sent the ball six times into the stands. KKR posted 206 on the board.

Early blows but Parag to the rescue

Vaibhav Suryavanshi failed to provide another start to the team in pink. Kunal Singh Rathore was given an opportunity, but he failed to make his impact on his debut. After two quick wickets, Jaiswal and Parag took charge at the bowlers. This duo added 58 runs for the third wicket in just 31 balls.

Riyan Parag was in a different league. Jaiswal’s dismissal was followed by a couple of ducks to Jurel and Hasaranga. Parag couldn’t believe what he was witnessing from the other end. RR’s captain smashed 95 runs in just 45 balls to keep his side in the chase. He smashed eight sixes, and six came in six balls. Rajasthan fell short of the target by just one run.

Another failure for LSG against PBKS

Punjab Kings moved to their second home, Dharamshala, for their encounter against LSG. Shreyas Iyer and his men managed to beat Pant’s side for the second time this season. This win takes them second in the league table.

PBKS batted first and posted a huge total of 236. Prabhsimran was the aggressor but missed on his second IPL century. He scored 91 in just 48 deliveries. Shreyas Iyer played a captain’s knock as he scored 45 in just 25 balls. Josh Inglis and Shashank Singh played cameo knocks to guide their side to a big total.

LSG needed someone to step up from their top order. However, Arshdeep Singh had some other plans. He dismissed Markram, Marsh, and Pooran inside the powerplay. All LSG top scorers failed in front of the left-arm pace bowler.

Rishabh Pant’s nightmare season continued as he only managed 18 runs. Ayush Badoni played a superb knock of 74, and Abdul Samad added 45 runs towards the end. Both players were unable to take their team over the line as PBKS won by 37 runs.