Russell, Rahane propel KKR to 179 on spin-friendly pitch at Eden Gardens

Noor Ahmad took four wickets on a sharply turning surface as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) kept Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to 179 for 6 in Eden Gardens' last league match of IPL 2025. On one of the most spin-friendly surfaces of the tournament - there were 20 not-in-control shots against spin during KKR's innings, the joint second-most of any innings this season - CSK's three spinners took a combined 5 for 84 in 11 overs.

Given the conditions, and given the fact that they have Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali in their attack, KKR may well have been the happier side going into the innings break.

Choosing to bat first, KKR probably knew they had to make the most of the powerplay, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone before becoming the first batter dismissed for 11 off nine balls. He hit a four and a six, swung hard and missed on numerous occasions, and then chipped one straight to midwicket.

Narine and Ajinkya Rahane continued in that spirit, and took KKR to 67 for 1 at the six-over mark, hitting eight fours and two sixes between them during the powerplay. Neither looked in full control - Rahane survived a chance when a diving Matheesha Pathirana put him down at long leg - but both went hard at the bowling in this period. Narine, coming into this game having scored 118 runs off 48 balls against R Ashwin while only being dismissed once, took 14 off the offspinner in the fifth over.

With the fields spread, Ashwin's next over, the seventh, only went for two. With the ball often turning square, KKR didn't hit a single boundary in the first four overs after the powerplay, and lost two wickets. Both fell in Noor's first over, with Narine stumped after the ball slipped between his legs, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi feathering one behind.

Rahane and Manish Pandey, who came in for the injured Venkatesh Iyer, then put on 32 off 28 balls, before Andre Russell arrived to give KKR the late push they desired. His 21-ball 38 was the driving force behind KKR scoring 70 off their last six overs, even though Pathirana closed out the innings with a 20th over full of singles.