Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the defending champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), have officially been knocked out of the 2025 season following the abandonment of their match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Rain washed out the match between KKR and RCB on May 17 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, with both teams sharing a point. KKR’s playoff hopes were already slim after a crucial loss to CSK before the mid-season break. They needed to win all remaining games to stay in the race, but even a maximum of 15 points wouldn’t have guaranteed qualification.
Now, with just one point gained from the washed-out match, their maximum possible tally drops to 13—insufficient for a playoff berth. After lifting the title in 2024, KKR underwent a major squad overhaul.
Key players like Phil Salt, Mitchell Starc, and Shreyas Iyer moved to other franchises, forcing the franchise to rebuild around a fresh core. The team also faced a significant setback in the off-season with mentor Gautam Gambhir departing to become India’s head coach.
KKR, led by Ajinkya Rahane this season, started their campaign with a loss to RCB at home. They bounced back with a strong nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), but couldn’t stay consistent. The team struggled to win two matches in a row early on and spent the rest of the season trying to catch up, but couldn’t manage to turn things around.
KKR Set to Conclude IPL 2025 Campaign Against SRH on May 25
KKR will wrap up their IPL 2025 campaign with a match against fellow eliminated side Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday, May 25, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The Men in Purple are expected to have a largely full-strength squad available for the fixture, with the exception of overseas all-rounders Moeen Ali and Rovman Powell, who did not return to the squad following the mid-season break.
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