KKR finished eighth on the IPL 2025 points table.
Apart from their passionate fans, even the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) camp was brimming with confidence about clinching back-to-back Indian Premier League (IPL) titles. Their campaign, however, was not just disappointing. It ended on a dismal note, with the team finishing eighth on the points table, managing only five wins in the two-month-long league.
The IPL 2025 mega auction came at the wrong time for KKR, as they had to form a new team just months after winning the trophy. They retained their core of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Varun Chakravarthy. However, KKR’s downfall began with a poor auction, where they dropped their IPL 2024 winning captain, Shreyas Iyer, and acquired Venkatesh Iyer for an unjustifiably high price.
At no point during the tournament did KKR look like a team to be feared. Barring three close losses (against LSG, PBKS, and CSK), they virtually gifted wins to the other teams.
Let’s dissect the individual performances and rate them on their contributions to the team.
The Mumbai batter returned to KKR after their first stint together in 2022. He stitched 390 runs in 12 innings at an average of almost 35 and a strike rate just below 150. He scored three half-centuries and played vital cameos in the process. But he never played a captain’s knock to save his team. His top score of 35-ball 61 came in a losing cause. With the team finishing in the bottom half, Rahane’s captaincy skills were also not up to the mark.
Since 2012, the West Indies all-rounder has been a constant face in the KKR outfit. He gave quick starts to the team but couldn’t carry the momentum to play a big knock. Out of 246 runs in 12 innings, Narine’s top score sits at 44 against CSK. His overall average was 22.36 with an explosive strike rate of 170.83. With the ball, he controlled the pace of the innings. He scalped 12 wickets in as many games at an economy rate of 7.80.
The wicketkeeper-batter has probably played his worst IPL edition so far. Out of eight outings, de Kock scored in single digits five times. His only double-digit scores were 23, 15, and unbeaten 97 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
The 20-year-old Mumbai batter was one of the bright spots in the KKR lineup. Raghuvanshi amassed 300 runs in 11 innings to become KKR’s second-highest run-getter behind Rahane. His average of 33.33 and strike rate of 139.53 look promising for KKR’s future. Raghuvanshi made one fifty and got out at 44 twice.
The deemed future of KKR, Venkatesh Iyer, had a brilliant season last year, averaging 46.25 with a strike rate close to 160. However, being the costliest buy in the KKR unit may have affected his performance this season. His average dropped to 20 with a strike rate of 139.21. He took more than long to settle with the bat. Out of his seven innings, he crossed double-digits thrice. He followed his top score of 60 against SRH with a 45-run knock against LSG, but failed to build his form. Venkatesh did not bowl this season, lowering his ratings.
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The southpaw had a brilliant season two years ago, making runs at an average of 59.25. Rinku, like last year, bottled this season with an average of 29.42. Though his strike rate was an impressive 153.73, he failed to help KKR over the line. He scored the winning runs in most of KKR’s successful chases. He could do better to help rewrite close defeats.
Manish Pandey couldn’t do the job of a finisher, but he played decently in his three opportunities. His scores of 37, 36*, and 19 came at a good strike rate of 141.53. KKR could use him more in the upcoming season.
Playing his 11th IPL edition with KKR, Russell is also a legacy member. But he failed to entertain the crowd this season. Excluding his 57 not out against RR, the West Indies all-rounder managed only 110 runs in nine innings. With the ball, he picked up only eight wickets at an economy rate of 12. KKR can now turn to youngsters as designated finishers.
KKR’s other wicketkeeper-batter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, also failed to live up to his hype. In his limited opportunities of five innings, the Afghan batter made 74 runs from 53 balls faced. His strike rate of 139.62 was decent, but not enough to convert close losses into wins.
Ramandeep Singh was another flop show in KKR’s middle order. He made a total of 47 runs in seven innings at an embarrassing average of below 10. Though he can churn a couple of middle overs, his bowling skills were not tested this season.
The English all-rounder was initially used as a replacement for Sunil Narine. Though Moe was not a genuine wicket-taker, his economy of 8.50 was better than most KKR bowlers. Overall, he returned with six wickets in five games. However, with the bat, he made only five runs.
The 27-year-old speedster was one of the reliable bowlers for Rahane to turn to. Vaibhav picked up at least one wicket in 11 out of 12 games. However, his economy of above 10 can be improved in the upcoming editions. He has two three-wicket hauls to his name and is the second-leading wicket-taker for KKR this season.
Rana’s bowling was blowing hot and cold this season. He started the season well, picking up wickets consistently. But as the season progressed, he’d return wicketless. In his last four games, he gave away at least 40 seasons per match. But Rana promises good returns as he can add some depth to the batting lineup. In KKR’s last IPL 2025 match against SRH, the pacer slammed three sixes and two boundaries at the No.9 spot.
The Australian left-arm pacer disappointed KKR with just one wicket in four matches this season. Johnson continued his bad form from the Champions Trophy 2025 in the IPL.
Another overseas pacer who failed for KKR was Anrich Nortje. The Protea got only two games. In his first match against the Punjab Kings, Nortje showed promise with a spell of 1/23. But he was hammered by SRH in the next game, spilling 60 runs without taking any wickets.
The only reliable bowler for KKR this season was their mystery spinner, Varun Chakravarthy. He is the top wicket-taker from his team with 17 scalps in 13 matches. His unbelievable economy of under eight in this T20 league ranks him higher than all his teammates. His best spell of 4-0-3-22 came against the power hitters of SRH at a mind-boggling economy of 5.50.
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