Match overview
Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by 8 wickets at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on 26 March 2025, chasing a target of 152 with little fuss. Q de Kock was named Player of the Match as KKR finished on 153/2, having lost no wickets in the powerplay and no further wickets through the death overs. Rajasthan had posted 151/9 after a middle-overs collapse that cost them 5 wickets for 56 runs. The result moves KKR's head-to-head lead over Rajasthan to 17 wins from 30 meetings.
Rajasthan's innings followed a pattern that has become familiar: a solid powerplay followed by a structural unravelling. They scored 54 for 1 in the first six overs, which was above the ground's powerplay average of 47 runs, but the middle phase proved costly. Five wickets fell for 56 runs between overs 7 and 16. A lower-order contribution of 41 in the death overs dragged them past 150, but that total was never going to be enough.
KKR's reply was disciplined rather than flashy. They reached 40 for no loss at the end of the powerplay, then accelerated through the middle overs with 78 runs for the loss of 2 wickets. The final 35 runs arrived without further drama. From the moment their openers survived the powerplay unscathed, Rajasthan were chasing the game rather than playing it.
Venue and conditions
Barsapara Cricket Stadium has hosted 25 T20 matches, and the numbers paint a clear picture. The average first-innings score is 188, while the average second-innings score drops to 164, which partly reflects the difficulty of chasing here: only 46% of chasing sides have won. Despite that, KKR's chase tonight was one of the more controlled at this venue.
The toss carries genuine significance at Barsapara. A full 73% of toss winners have chosen to field, suggesting that dew or pitch deterioration tends to assist the team batting second in terms of conditions even if the win rate doesn't fully reflect it. KKR followed that logic, elected to field, and it paid off. Rajasthan's 151 fell well short of the venue's first-innings average of 188, which in hindsight made the target accessible.
The ground's average powerplay contribution of 47 runs and average death contribution of 39 runs suggest phases run relatively close to T20 norms. Rajasthan's powerplay of 54 was above par; their death-overs total of 41 was marginally above average too. The damage was done in between.
How to watch
IPL 2025 is broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Cricket. Streaming is available through Sky Go for existing subscribers and via a NOW TV day or monthly pass for those without a Sky subscription. Most IPL matches start at either 10:00 BST or 14:30 BST, depending on the day's scheduling, so check the Sky Sports listings for confirmed UK kick-off times.
Recent form
Kolkata Knight Riders came into this match in decent overall shape. Four of their last five recorded results before this fixture were wins, including back-to-back victories over Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2024. Their only recent defeat in that run was against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2025, which makes the form picture credible but not flawless.
Rajasthan Royals, by contrast, have had a more difficult stretch. They lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in both their 2025 and 2024 meetings, and also dropped results against Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings in 2024. Their one bright spot was a win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2024. Four losses from five is a tough run, and the collapse in the middle overs here suggested some of those vulnerabilities persist into the new season.
