KKR Spinner Moeen Ali Dominates Royals Batters in Tata IPL 2025

In the IPL season of 2025, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) drew their first victory after an 8-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. And while a lot of attention was legit dedicated to Quinton de Kock’s thrilling unbeaten 97 in an uncomplicated chase, it was Moeen Ali‘s deft off-spin that underpinned KKR’s success. Moeen was called in as a substitute against Sunil Narine, who was ill and could not play. He effectively made his mark by destroying the RR batting order by taking 2 wickets against 23 runs off 4 overs.

Moeen Ali’s Tactical Brilliance with the Ball

Moeen has always adapted and, being an all-rounder, demonstrated intelligent cricketing acumen to outwit the batters from the Rajasthan Royals. “I think my skill is that I think like a batter. So a lot of the time, I’m trying to think what they think, and it works in my favor,” he said after the Match. Because he anticipated the batters’ ways, he could exploit the weaknesses of RR, doing it one after another.

The first big wicket was that of Rajasthan opener Yashasvi Jaiswal when he was dismissed by Moeen. The off-spinners’ delivery then returned to bamboozle Nitish Rana, turning past the bat, clipping the top of the middle stump. Not only did his spell break up things for RR, but it also ensured that KKR had the game under their control.

Stepping Up in Narine’s Absence

Sunil, an integral part of the KKR bowling attack and Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the previous season, could not take the field due to an illness. The big shoes were supposed to be filled, and Moeen Ali grabbed this opportunity to show his worth. The English all-rounder bowled a tight and effective spell, restricting the Royals to 151 runs.

Trinidadian Narine remains KKR’s finest bowler ever and was instrumental in last year’s title win for KKR. But against RR, it was really a Moeen Ali show that depicted KKR’s prowess in depth of spin bowling, ensuring there was no real void left by Narine.

Quinton de Kock’s Unstoppable Knock

Moeen set up the victory before de Kock finished it in good style, scoring an unbeaten 97 over just 61 balls. This was collected by De Kock, including six sixes and eight fours, to decimate the Royals’ bowling in seal KKR’s first victory of Tata IPL 2025.

After having a horrid outing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the previous match, he came back with a vengeance. That match-winning mentality was on display, especially when he belted Archer for 16 runs in the 18th over. Fittingly, he finished the game with a humongous six, taking KKR past the winning line with more than two overs to spare.

The Spin Duo: Moeen Ali and Varun Chakravarthy

KKR has one of the most feared spin attacks in the tournament, and the addition of Moeen Ali only helps strengthen that. He worked well in combination with Varun Chakravarthy, who picked up two vital wickets, including that of the stand-in RR captain Riyan Parag.

Moeen credited Chakravarthy for his role in the bowling attack: “I’m used to bowling with somebody who is better than me and has more mystery than me. So, my job is to bowl as tight as I can and hopefully build pressure for that person to then get wickets.” 

Chakravarthy finished with 2 for 17 and played an important part in KKR’s plan to choke RR’s scoring opportunities. The spinners’ effectiveness did not allow RR’s batters to gain any kind of momentum.

Rajasthan Royals’ Struggles Continue

The recently started Tata IPL Season of 2025 proved to be somewhat of a disappointment for the Rajasthan Royals, and things did not improve any further as they went into the match without their regular captain, Sanju Samson. He is currently recovering from an injury affecting his right index finger. In his absence, Riyan Parag was to take up the role of captaincy, but disappointment showed up in his batting performance, scoring just 4 runs in the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad and contributing a little better against KKR.

The plan was that Wanindu Hasaranga would counter the KKR spinners, but that didn’t work out. The highlight of the RR batting was Dhruv Jurel, retained for INR 14 crore, who batted like he had a few matches left with a knock of 33 runs off 28 balls with five boundaries, but that was all RR brought to the party. The score of 151 runs surrendered hopelessly against a very determined KKR.

Jofra Archer’s Tough IPL Season Continues

This hasn’t been the best season in the IPL for Jofra Archer star fast bowler of RR. In the match against SRH, the bowler recorded the costliest bowling figures of IPL so far, at 76 runs. So once again, Archer had a golden chance against KKR, but instead, he failed miserably- he couldn’t save his runs in the death overs.

So, when Archer was brought to the attack, KKR needed 17 off 18 balls, and de Kock unleashed Archer with a lovely pulled four. Then, he sent Archer to clear another six before requesting two wides from the England pacer. Retiring KKR’s match in style through fire with another six over long-on, De Kock.

Conclusion

KKR’s emphatic 8-wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals highlighted KKR’s depth in both batting and bowling. The brilliance of Moeen Ali and the added support from Varun Chakravarthy never allowed RR to find their footing. The match-winning knock from Quinton de Kock made KKR’s winning stance stronger over the game.

With the Tata IPL 2025 season rolling out, KKR’s squad looks heavy on paper, with experienced guys coming good when needed. After winning their first game, KKR would look to build on this momentum to strengthen their campaign.

With some exhilarating contests lined up in the future, IPL 2025 match predictions for insights and analysis should be followed for the Tata IPL 2025 season! 

FAQs

1. What was Moeen Ali’s contribution to the KKR versus RR match?
   He bowled match-winning figures of 2 for 23 in 4 overs, having dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana, to help restrict RR to 151.
2. What caused Sunil Narine’s absence in the match against KKR and RR?
   Sunil Narine was ill for this match, and, in that situation, Moeen Ali was the substitute bowler and bowled quite well.
3. What was Quinton de Kock’s impact on KKR’s victory?
   Quinton de Kock’s efforts led his KKR outfit to knock the top off the table with a massive 97 from 61 balls, including 6 sixes and 8 fours, to win by 8 wickets against RR.
4. How has Jofra Archer performed until now in Tata IPL 2025?
   Start of 2025 IPL has been poor for Archer. He leaked 76 runs in his opening match for SRH, and even against KKR, he failed to perform his death over duties.
5. Who took the lead for the Rajasthan Royals against KKR in Sanju Samson’s absence? Riyan Parag insisted on captaining the Rajasthan Royals against KKR during the period of recovery of Samson from the injury but left no impact with the bat.