KKR mid-season review: Can the defending champions successfully defend their crown? | Cricket News

New Chandigarh: Kolkata Knight Riders’ players during a practice session ahead of an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 T20 cricket match between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, in New Chandigarh. (PTI Photo/Shiva Sharma) *** Local Caption ***

At the halfway mark of this year’s IPL, KKR finds itself in the middle of the points table with 3 wins and 4 losses from 7 games. The defending champions have had a mixed campaign so far, blowing hot and cold. They will be especially eager to bounce back after a disappointing defeat against Punjab Kings, where they were bowled out for just 95 while chasing a modest target of 112.

Hits
When Ajinkya Rahane was named KKR captain, eyebrows were raised and questions were asked about his place in the XI. But the veteran has silenced critics and emerged as their best batter this season, scoring 221 runs at an average of 36.83 and a strike rate of 149.
Who’s that IPL player?
In the bowling department, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana have both picked up 10 wickets so far, with impressive averages of 16.80 and 20.30, and economies of 6.22 and 8.82 respectively. Vaibhav Arora and Sunil Narine have also contributed with 8 and 7 wickets. KKR’s bowling unit has worked well in tandem and has been one of the stronger aspects of their campaign.
Misses
The major concern for KKR has been their batting. Apart from Rahane, no other batter has crossed the 200-run mark. The trio of Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh haven’t had enough time in the middle, and when they did, they couldn’t capitalize.

Venkatesh Iyer, who was picked up for a hefty sum of ₹3.75 crore, has failed to live up to expectations. The opening pair – a major strength during their title run last year – has underperformed this season. Sunil Narine has been inconsistent at the top, while Quinton de Kock has managed just one standout innings, against RR.
Playoff Chances
KKR still has a solid chance to make it to the playoffs. They will need to win at least 5 out of their remaining 7 matches to stay in contention. But for that to happen, their batting unit must find form – and fast.