Sanju Samson’s early dismissal, trying to charge fast bowler Vaibhav Arora and getting yorked, was a setback for RR, but what followed once the KKR spinners were brought on was a mini disaster. Wanindu Hasaranga at No.5 was Rajasthan’s attempt to disturb the rhythm of the Kolkata spinners but his innings lasted just four balls. A young Hasaranga’s stronger suit was batting before he made a name as a mystery spinner. Hasaranga in the middle, with Moeen Ali and Varaun Chakaravarthy operating, was a smart gamble. But the surface at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium was not a batting paradise. The spinners got the ball to grip.

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Hasaranga stuck to his brief but taking on Varun on a slow wicket is fraught with danger. Hasaranga had failed to clear the ropes once, but unperturbed he had another go. Varun’s ball skidded yet Hasaranga had already set his mind on finding the deep mid-wicket fence. He miscued to Ajinkya Rahane at mid-off.

On either side of the Hasaranga wicket, off-spinner Ali, in for an ill Sunil Narine, took out the two left-handers when bowling around the wicket. The first wicket, that of Yashasvi Jaiswal, was a touch fortunate because the bat turned in the batsman’s hand. But credit to Ali for flighting the ball and getting Jaiswal to come down the track only to be caught at the long-on boundary. Jaiswal did show some intent, but Nitish Rana just played into the off-spinner’s hands.

Rana first showed his cards early by moving to the leg side to expose the stumps. Ali slowed down the pace and the ball gripped and turned. Rana was too far away from the line as he tried to steer to short third man but the bat got nowhere close to the ball.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Varun Chakaravarthy celebrates with skipper Ajinkya Rahane during the IPL 2025 match against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. (Sportzpics for IPL)Ryan Parag, the stand-in skipper, was the first batsman to fall to spin. After Samson’s dismissal, Parag, batting at No.3 wanted to be the aggressor. The third ball he faced, he smashed Harshit Rana to the square leg boundary for a six. His best shot of the day was against Vaibhav Arora. The overpitched ball was there to be hit and Parag just half-punched the lofted drive to look elegant. When Varun erred in his length on the shorter side, Parag went onto the backfoot and smashed him over deep midwicket for a six. But two balls later, Varun struck. Parag tried to hit the bowler back over his head for another six but the ball was turning away a wee bit. The slight change in trajectory was enough for Parag to mis-hit.

Parag in the 8th over, Jasiwal in the 9th, Hasaranga in the 10th, Rana in the 11th – four wickets in quick succession to the spinners resulted in the wheels coming off Rajasthan’s innings.

AS IT HAPPENED | IPL 2025, RR vs KKR LIVE Cricket Score: Quinton de Kock hits smoking 97, takes Kolkata to 8-wicket win over Rajasthan

Archer suffers again

Tearaway quick Jofra Archer had a forgettable night against Sunrisers Hyderabad, conceding 76 runs in his four overs, the most expensive spell in IPL’s history. On Wednesday, Archer seemed to have put that horrible evening behind him. Taking first strike for KKR was his former England teammate Ali and Archer hit the mid-140s right away. Ali played and missed four times in the first over as Archer was on the money. But Quinton de Kock isn’t one to get bogged down by reputation or serious pace. He has the shots to inflict serious damage. De Kock pounced on the slightest error from Archer. The first ball of the third over was a wide one from Archer. De Kock cut it with ease for a four. Fifth ball of the over was not short but De Kock had enough time to go back and smash it for a six between long-on and deep mid-wicket. Thirteen runs conceded in his second over and Archer was out of the attack. Archer finished the night conceding at 13.20 runs per over.

De Kock’s masterful knock

On the slowish wicket, KKR needed someone to bat sensibly, more so when facing spinners in the middle overs. Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, two spinners with tricks up their sleeve, were the dangermen. But Parag, at best a part-time spinner, was the weak link. Captain Ajinkya Rahane didn’t get hold of a wrong ‘un from Hasaranga and skied the ball to be caught inside the circle. At 70 for 2 in the 11th over, KKR wasn’t in deep trouble but could not afford any silly shots. De Kock took charge.

Two sixes, the first one when facing Hasaranga over long on to bring up his fifty and another over mid wicket, Parag the bowler this time, pushed the spinners on the defensive. Soon he showed class to hit Hasaranga back along the ground for a four. There was one bad-looking shot from De Kock — a reverse scoop when facing Sandeep Sharma. The thick edge resulted in the ball landing at short fine leg. But for the rest of the innings, he was untroubled.

On nights like this, when almost every ball he hits comes off the middle of the bat, De Kock can be difficult to contain. With the asking rate within reach, De Kock was happy to push the ball around singles for a short phase. Then, when Archer was brought back on in the 18th over, with 17 runs needed, De Kock didn’t spare him. A four to mid on, a six to fine leg and another six down the ground. The QdK show was complete.

Brief scores: RR 151/9 (Jurel 33, Varun 2/17) lost to KKR 153/2 (De Kock 97*, Hasaranga 1/34) by 8 wickets