KKR become fourth side to get eliminated from tournament after rain plays spoilsport in RCB clash

Kolkata Knight Riders were eliminated from the race to the playoffs of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League after their match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Saturday, May 17. This result meant the defending champions became the fourth side to get eliminated from the playoffs after Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Rajasthan Royals.

With this result, KKR were left at 12 points after 13 games played. Prior to the recently-concluded fixture, KKR had another game (vs Punjab Kings at home) of which only 21 overs could be played before the match had to be called off due to inclement weather. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side have had a season to forget. They have failed to be clinical enough in every department consistently.

Speaking of where KKR lost the plot in IPL 2025, there can be multiple aspects where they under-delivered this season. A lack of an experienced overseas pacer was clearly noticeable. The batting lineup failed to fire during when the team really needed them to turn up. A lot of shuffling in the positions of the batters never really made anyone become a master at their trade. A couple of games that were in their court were squandered.

KKR’s final league game will be against SRH at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, May 25. They would be aiming to finish things off on a high. The change in backroom staff as well as captaincy, did not seem to pay dividends this time around. There were several factors KKR could have capitalised on. This could’ve had a completely different effect on the final outcome.

As for RCB, they still have not guaranteed their place in the playoffs. However, they will be through if either of PBKS or DC lose their respective games on Sunday, May 18. With the game being called off due to persistent showers, RCB occupy the first place with 17 points in the bank.

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