Rajasthan Royals put up a spirited fight in front of a passionate Guwahati crowd at the ACA Stadium but their wait for the first win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 extended following an eight-wicket loss against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Put into bat, Rajasthan Royals posted 151/9 in their 20 overs. Dhruv Jurel, whose 70 off 35 lifted Rajasthan Royals to their highest IPL score in the last match, once again top-scored with a 28-ball 33. In reply, Kolkata Knight Riders chased down the target in 17.3 overs.

Rajasthan Royals made a steady start as Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 33 for the opening wicket before the former yorked himself in the fourth over.

Samson’s wicket brought Riyan Parag to the crease. Captaining Rajasthan Royals for the first time in his home state of Assam, Riyan Parag took just three balls to make his intent clear, striking a short-length ball from Harshit Rana for a one-handed six over square leg.

He followed it up with a straight six off Vaibhav Arora while Jaiswal ended the powerplay in style, smashing a six over long off to reach 3000 T20 runs. At 54/1 in six overs, the Royals looked set for a strong total.

However, spinners Moeen Ali and Varun Chakravarthy applied the choke for the next seven overs - a phase where the Royals scored 38 runs and lost the wickets of Jaiswal, Parag, Wanindu Hasaranga and Nitish Rana.

Dhruv Jurel led a brief fightback, lifting the Royals from 92/5 in 13 overs to 131/6 in 18. He fell in the penultimate over but Jofra Archer’s unbeaten 16 off 7 ensured the Royals crossed 150, finishing with a total that gave their bowlers a decent total to defend.

Jofra Archer set the tone for Rajasthan Royals with a fiery first over to Moeen Ali, but Quinton de Kock made the most of the powerplay, ensuring Kolkata Knight Riders reached 40/0 in six overs.

Moeen’s dismissal in the seventh over brought skipper Ajinkya Rahane to the crease as KKR looked to build on their steady start. However, Wanindu Hasaranga outfoxed Rahane with a wrong one to make it 70/2 in the 11th over.

Rajasthan Royals spin trio of Maheesh Theekshana, Riyan Parag and Wanindu Hasaranga tightened the grip on the scoring rate but Quinton de Kock, with an unbeaten 97 off 61, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 22 off 17, took the defending champions over the line with eight wickets to spare.

Rajasthan Royals will face Chennai Super Kings in their next IPL 2025 match at the same venue in Guwahati on Sunday.

Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2025, brief scores: RR 151/9 in 20 overs (Dhruv Jurel 33; Varun Chakravarthy 2/17) lost to KKR 153/2 in 17.3 overs (Quinton de Kock 97*, Wanindu Hasaranga 1/34) by 8 wickets.