Match overview
Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 2 wickets at Eden Gardens on 7 May 2025, chasing a target of 180 in what became a nervy finish. KKR posted 179/6 after winning the toss and choosing to bat, a total built on a blistering powerplay of 67/1. CSK's reply started disastrously: 5 wickets fell inside the first six overs with the score at 62. From there, their middle order steadied things considerably, scoring 78 runs for just 1 wicket through overs 7 to 15. The tail contributed enough at the death, and CSK crossed the line at 183/8. Noor Ahmad, who bowled for CSK, took the player of the match award.
The margin of 2 wickets tells you how close KKR came to defending. Had their bowlers taken one more wicket in the death overs, the result would have been different. CSK's recovery from 62/5 was the story of the game.
Venue and conditions
Eden Gardens has hosted 171 T20 matches and carries a well-defined character. The average first-innings score across those games is 186, so KKR's 179 sat fractionally below the par line for batting first. The average second-innings score is 170, meaning CSK's eventual 183 was a strong chase by the ground's standards.
Powerplay scoring at the venue averages 44 runs, which makes KKR's 67/1 in the first six overs a significant outperformance. The average death-overs tally is 38 runs; both sides exceeded that figure in their respective innings (55 for KKR, 43 for CSK), suggesting the pitch remained true throughout. The ground's chase success rate of 53 per cent across those 171 matches places it broadly in the coin-flip territory for second-innings teams, though the toss data is instructive: the side winning the toss fields first 58 per cent of the time at Eden Gardens. KKR bucked that trend by batting, and it nearly cost them.
How to watch
IPL 2025 matches are broadcast in the UK exclusively on Sky Sports Cricket. Live streaming is available through Sky Go for existing subscribers and via a NOW TV day or monthly pass for those without a full Sky subscription. The majority of IPL fixtures begin at either 15:30 or 19:30 IST, translating to approximately 11:00 or 15:00 BST depending on the scheduling slot. Check Sky Sports schedules for precise UK broadcast times for upcoming KKR and CSK fixtures.
Recent form
Kolkata Knight Riders came into this fixture with mixed recent form: two wins against Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals, a no-result against Punjab Kings, and defeats to Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings. The squad had momentum in parts but lacked consistency across the five preceding matches.
Chennai Super Kings' form ahead of this game was considerably worse. Four losses in succession against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Mumbai Indians preceded a single win over Lucknow Super Giants. CSK were under pressure going into Eden Gardens and needed this result badly. The fact that they pulled it off from 62/5 in the powerplay, against a KKR side chasing their third consecutive win, will carry real significance in the points table context. Their head-to-head record of 20 wins from 31 meetings against KKR now sits at 21 from 32, and the rivalry shows no sign of producing straightforward results.
