Kolkata Knight Riders secured a crucial victory against Rajasthan Royals in a nail-biting finish, keeping their Indian Premier League (IPL) play-off hopes alive. Chasing a target of 207, Rajasthan needed 22 runs from the final over bowled by Vaibhav Arora. Shubham Dubey smashed two sixes and a four, leaving them needing three from the last ball. However, a precise throw from Rinku Singh ensured that Jofra Archer couldn't complete the second run, resulting in a dramatic one-run victory for Kolkata.

Early Struggles for Rajasthan Rajasthan's innings got off to a shaky start, losing five wickets for just 71 runs by the eighth over. Vaibhav Suryavanshi was dismissed for a two-ball four, and Moeen Ali removed Yashasvi Jaiswal (34) and Kunal Rathore for a duck. Varun Chakravarthy further dented Rajasthan's hopes by dismissing Dhruv Jurel and Wanindu Hasaranga in quick succession.

Parag and Hetmyer's Heroics The tide turned with a brilliant 92-run partnership between Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer. Parag was particularly aggressive, hitting eight sixes in his 45-ball innings, including six consecutive boundaries in Moeen Ali's 13th over. However, Harshit Rana broke the partnership by dismissing Hetmyer for 29, and Parag was eventually caught by Vaibhav Arora for a blistering 95 off 45 balls.

Kolkata's Strong Batting Display Kolkata's total of 206-4 was a collective effort, with significant contributions from Rahmanullah Gurbaz (35), Ajinkya Rahane (30), and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44). Andre Russell (57 off 25) and Rinku Singh (19 off 6) provided the finishing touches, setting a challenging target that Rajasthan couldn't quite overcome.

Implications for the Play-offs With this victory, Kolkata moved up to sixth place in the IPL standings, just two points behind Punjab Kings in the final play-off position, albeit having played one more game. Rajasthan, on the other hand, remained in eighth place with three wins and nine losses, effectively ending their play-off hopes.

Scorecard, IPL Fixtures & Results, Table For more details on the match, including the full scorecard and updated IPL standings, visit the official IPL website.