May 04, 2025: In a nail-biting IPL 2024 encounter at Eden Gardens, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) edged past Rajasthan Royals (RR) by just 1 run, prompting cheers from fans and co-owner Juhi Chawla. The Bollywood actor shared her delight and extended best wishes to the team, saying, “All the best to all the players in our team, KKR. All our best wishes are with you.”
Batting first, KKR posted an imposing 206/4 in 20 overs. Despite the early loss of Sunil Narine, a solid partnership between skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (35 off 25) set the tone. The real momentum came from a fiery 61-run partnership between Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44 off 31) and Andre Russell, who smashed an unbeaten 57 off just 25 balls. Russell was well-supported by Rinku Singh, who contributed a quick 19* off 6 balls.
In response, RR found themselves struggling at 71/5. However, Riyan Parag played a breathtaking innings of 95 off 45 balls, forming a crucial 92-run stand with Shimron Hetmyer (29 off 23). Late fireworks from Shubham Dubey (25* off 14) and Jofra Archer (12 off 8) brought RR within touching distance, but they eventually fell short, finishing at 205/8.
For KKR, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Moeen Ali each picked two wickets, playing a key role in securing the narrow win.
The match goes down as one of the most thrilling of the season, reaffirming KKR’s strong run and delighting home fans in Kolkata.