Kolkata Knight Riders achieved their inaugural victory of the IPL 2025 season on Wednesday, triumphing over Rajasthan Royals in a match that was predominantly one-sided, winning by 8 wickets. After limiting the home team to a score of 151/9 in Guwahati, the Knight Riders successfully chased down the target with 15 balls remaining, thanks to their opener, Quinton de Kock, who finished with an impressive 97 not out.

As the match neared its conclusion, de Kock had an opportunity to secure his century. He was on 91 when KKR required seven more runs for victory, but Jofra Archer strayed from his line, delivering two consecutive wides. With five runs needed, de Kock hit a six to clinch a commanding win for the Knight Riders, though this meant he fell short of his century.

While de Kock himself did not visibly react to missing out on the milestone, numerous fans on social media criticized Jofra Archer, suggesting that the English bowler intentionally bowled two wides to hinder de Kock from achieving his hundred.

Here are some reactions:

Rajasthan Royals faced challenges on a slow Guwahati pitch, managing to score only 151 runs for the loss of 9 wickets against the spin attack of Kolkata Knight Riders, led by Moeen Ali and Varun Chakravarthy. The sluggish surface favored KKR, with Ali achieving remarkable bowling figures of 2 wickets for 20 runs in his four overs.

The batting performance of Rajasthan was marked by a lack of rhythm, resulting in their second consecutive defeat as they struggled to adjust to the playing conditions. Their choice to elevate Wanindu Hasaranga in the batting order over more seasoned players proved detrimental, leaving them with an insufficient total.

In contrast, Quinton de Kock demonstrated a keen understanding of the pitch. The South African opener adopted an aggressive strategy against Hasaranga, ensuring KKR maintained the upper hand in their run chase. Despite an early mix-up that resulted in Moeen Ali's run-out, de Kock remained composed. He reached his half-century in an impressive manner, hitting Hasaranga over wide long-on, and concluded the match decisively in the 18th over. His unbeaten partnership of 83 runs with the young Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who scored 22 runs off 17 balls, secured the victory, with de Kock striking Jofra Archer for two sixes and a boundary to finish a commanding chase. Archer, having another challenging match, ended without a wicket, conceding 33 runs.

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