L-R: KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane with head coach Chandrakant Pandit. (Sportzpics for IPL)Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders were knocked out of the Indian Premier League 2025 on a day when the IPL season restarted after a nine-day halt in action due to the India-Pakistan conflict. The end for the three-time IPL champions came at the Chinnaswamy Stadium without a ball being bowled as Bengaluru skies opened up and did not allow the RCB vs KKR game to happen. The no result meant that both teams split a point which edged RCB closer to securing a playoffs spot, while KKR were eliminated.
Having let captain Shreyas Iyer leave after the season ended, the Kolkata-based franchise reposed their faith in Ajinkya Rahane to help them defend the IPL 2025 title.
Former Australia cricketer Aaron Finch said that KKR were themselves to blame for their fate.
“They’ve only got themselves to blame. They almost kicked themselves after that last game against CSK – it was theirs to win. The match was almost wrapped up, and they still couldn’t cross the line, which turned out to be an incredible win for Chennai. Throughout the season, there were too many moments where KKR just didn’t click,” Finch said while talking about KKR on JioHotstar
He then pointed out the biggest mistake the team had made consistently through the season which had hurt them in the tournament.
“It didn’t start well for them. Andre Russell, being the match-winner that he is, and has been for such a long time, was batting too far down the order for much of the tournament. He simply wasn’t given the opportunities to influence games the way he can,” said Finch.
In sharp contrast to KKR, Punjab Kings have flourished this season and are on the front-runners among six teams to secure the playoffs spot. Punjab are perennial under-performers in the IPL, having been around for 18 seasons but never winning the IPL. This season — under new captain Shreyas Iyer, who left KKR to take over at Punjab — that could change.
Finch praised former KKR leader’s performance since moving to Punjab Kings.
“Shreyas has been fantastic – just as he was at KKR. He is a terrific young leader. Leaving a title-winning side would have hurt, but to carry forward that leadership success into a completely different setup shows his versatility. It’s a new team, a new coach, yet he’s adapted brilliantly. His batting, especially away from home, has been top-notch. Overall, he’s been excellent for the Kings – both as a leader and a player.”
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