There was a dramatic twist of events in the IPL 2025 when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 8 wickets in the sixth game of the season. Quinton de Kock’s remarkable batting performance was noteworthy as he was instrumental in taking KKR to victory. But in a turn of events, de Kock fell short of a century by three runs, courtesy of two vital wides bowled by Rajasthan’s pacer Jofra Archer.
Quinton de Kock’s Near-Century in KKR’s Victory
The game took place on the slow pitch of Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, where the Knight Riders chased down a decent target of 158 set by their opponents, the Royals.
The man of the day was Quinton de Kock, the wicketkeeper-batsman for KKR, with a commanding 97 runs off 61 balls. He batted through the entire chase with poise and class. Even de Kock, who was only three runs short of his century, was robbed of that by some misfortune when he was on 97 runs, facing the last ball of the 18th over.
Jofra Archer Bowled 2 Wides That Spoiled de Kock’s Century Dream
KKR reached the target having been in good stead at 135/2 off 17 overs, only 17 runs behind to lift. Quinton de Kock on 81 runs was going head-to-head against Jofra Archer in the 18th over.
De Kock marched past 91 quickly after adding a boundary in the midwicket region and a six from the second delivery of the over. With the target decreasing, de Kock was well-placed to finish his century by scoring a four and a six on the next two deliveries.
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But Jofra Archer bowled 2 wides consecutively, turning the game around. Having conceded a boundary and a six on the first two legitimate balls, Archer lost his line and bowled two successive wides.
This resulted in losing the scoring chance for de Kock to score the needed boundaries to achieve his century. Now, at this point in time, KKR had only 5 runs left to win, and de Kock was stuck on 91 runs.
De Kock Ends the Match with a Six
With the game hanging in the balance and only a handful of runs needed to seal the game, Quinton de Kock finished the match in style. On the third legitimate delivery of the over, de Kock hit a six, pushing KKR across the line and achieving an 8-wicket win. Though de Kock’s match-winning shot was the pick of the day, the missed century was a cruel fate owing to the two wides bowled by Jofra Archer.
KKR Opens Their Winning Account, RR’s Troubles Continue
Though they failed to reach the century, Quinton de Kock’s knock was instrumental in KKR’s cause, and they opened their account for the season in IPL 2025. His performance made sure that KKR won the game comprehensively and achieved the target without any resistance. In contrast, Rajasthan Royals suffered their second successive defeat, continuing their struggles in the early part of the tournament.
Jofra Archer’s Wides Impact de Kock’s Century
In the IPL 2025 match between KKR and RR, two wides tossed by Jofra Archer denied Quinton de Kock the opportunity of a hundred. While Archer’s poor bowling did not affect managed to eventually win for KKR, it did give de Kock a bit of a guilt trip for not being in a position to get the milestone.
At the end of the day, KKR will be happy with their solid win while the Rajasthan Royals will go away just trying to forget about it and think about their next match.
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