De Kock’s unbeaten 97 powers Kolkata to first IPL win over Rajasthan

Quinton de Kock’s commanding 97 not out led Kolkata Knight Riders to their first victory of the IPL season, as they cruised to an eight-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Wednesday.

Chasing 152, De Kock anchored the innings with a 61-ball knock featuring eight fours and six sixes, steering Kolkata to victory with 15 balls to spare. The South African opener lost Moeen Ali early to a run-out for five, while captain Ajinkya Rahane departed for 18, but an unbeaten 83-run stand with Angkrish Raghuvanshi (22 not out) sealed the chase. De Kock finished the match in style, smashing a six off Jofra Archer.

Earlier, Kolkata’s spinners set the tone after electing to bowl, with Moeen and Varun Chakravarthy taking two wickets each to restrict Rajasthan to 151-9. Fast bowler Vaibhav Arora removed Sanju Samson for 13, while Chakravarthy, fresh from India’s Champions Trophy triumph, dismissed stand-in skipper Riyan Parag for 25.

Moeen, replacing the unwell Sunil Narine, tightened the screws further, claiming the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 29. Rajasthan struggled at 82-5 in 11 overs, and despite a late 33 from Dhruv Jurel, they fell well short of a competitive total.

Arora and Harshit Rana also took two wickets each for Kolkata, who bounced back strongly after their opening defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Rajasthan, meanwhile, slumped to their second consecutive loss in the tournament.

(Source: AFP)