Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have found themselves in the spot of the bother in terms of qualification after their loss to Gujarat Titans. This now makes the road tough for them, and with competition extremely high, it won’t be a surprise if they end up losing the game.
This is because Kolkata Knight Riders faced a disappointing 39-run loss against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Monday (21st April). The 39th game of the tournament between the teams took place at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Gujarat Titans defeat Kolkata Knight Riders by 39 runs at Eden Gardens
Gujarat Titans had a magnificent outing with the bat and ball in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders. The Shubman Gill-led side registered their sixth win in the league and made sure that they extended their lead at the top of the table.
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Kolkata Knight Riders opted to field first and they didn’t have a great start with the ball. Gujarat Titans openers Shubman Gill (90) and Sai Sudharsan (52) were all over the bowlers and took their team off to a flying start.
Gujarat Titans had a solid opening partnership of 114 runs as both Gill and Sudharsan slammed magnificent half-centuries. Jos Buttler, at three, played another brutal hand for the team as he slammed unbeaten 41 runs to put more pressure on the opposition.
Thanks to their brilliant performance from the top order, Gujarat Titans posted a total of 198 runs on the board.
In the second innings, Kolkata Knight Riders lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over. After that, Sunil Narine (17) and skipper Ajinkya Rahane (50) put the pressure back on the Gujarat Titans bowlers with their 41-run stand and it seemed that it would be an easy chase.
Rahane continued his golden form and slammed a solid half-century but didn’t get support from the other end as wickets kept falling regularly. Andre Russell (21) hit some blows, but he, too, couldn’t take his team home as GT reduced KKR to 159 to win the game by 39 runs.
Here’s how KKR can qualify for IPL 2025 playoffs
KKR, with the loss against Gujarat Titans, bagged the 7th spot on the points Table. In the 8 games they have won just three games and have lost five with just 6 points to their name in the tournament so far.
To make it into the playoffs, KKR will need to win at least 5 games to get 16 points, which is considered a mark for qualification. This means that to get a direct qualification, they can afford to lose just one game.
KKR can still qualify if they win 4 games and lose two. But that, too, will depend on the NRR as well as how other results pan out. However, if they lose more than two games then it might mean curtains for them in the tournament. Even at 12 points, they wouldn’t be safe as only once has a team with 12 points made it through to the playoffs (SRH in IPL 2019).
The next three matches of the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025
KKR will be next taking on Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025. The match will be played on Saturday (26th April) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After that, they will go to Delhi to take on Delhi Capitals on Tuesday (29th April). Then, they will come home to take on Rajasthan Royals on Sunday (4th May).
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